


Kintsugi

by BluberryTau



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Additional tags forewarning TW's will be added, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Angry Sex, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, I dont know what to tag, Innocent Blueberry, Jeez, Light BDSM, Multi, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has a past, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, The Smut is Here!, Underswap Papyrus, and a personality, and powers, anyway, but noncon is planned tho, give this a chance c'mon, just a lil cinnamon bun, just talk it out, or the beginnings of it, sans is the cutest, u beautiful person, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 11:46:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14933657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluberryTau/pseuds/BluberryTau
Summary: You were pushed down into the abyss with a valuable ability, and a pivotal mission:Collect their souls, as they have with ours. For our country.Will your morality overrule your sense of mission? What is with this country, and what secrets does it hold? What happened in your past?..and who is that tall, lazy ass skeleton fucker who looks like he doesn't give a damn?





	1. Wherein you fall

**Author's Note:**

> Heya, welcome to my first attempt at writing a long running fic! I've previously written for other fandoms under a different pseudonym, but this is my first foray into Undertale, despite having been a fan ever since it first came out 2 years ago lmao
> 
> TBH I just had to write this, because I rarely ever see stories about reader and Stretch (or maybe I just don't know where to look) so I decided to pen one own myself!
> 
> If you like this, drop me a helpful comment (or just a comment lmao), it'll definitely spur me on to write faster kekeke.
> 
> Even if you don't drop me a comment, thank you so much for choosing to even click on this- I honestly can't thank you enough for deciding to give this (trashy) piece of my heart and soul a chance. <3 
> 
> Oh, and I've already planned this whole story out, it's more of how fast I'm able to type it out with my stubby little fingers, ahaha.

Wind is slicing past your ears.  
You’re falling- fast.  
The pinhole of light above you from whence you fell is getting smaller and smaller.

               Ever smaller.

Righteous fury bubbles within you, only to be pushed away, leaving a sharp tang of… regret? Melancholy? You don’t know. Your life is rapidly falling from you- everything you’ve worked up to- taken away by him. He who pushed you in, in turn taking away your future, and all the trust you’d previously held in him. You seethe.

               That man.

.

.

.

 

_You look up at the sky, walking beside a young man of impressive stature. He walks with his head high, shoulders broad and confident, wavy chestnut locks shimmering under the sunlight- brilliant brown eyes focused forward. Always forward._

_Perhaps in another world, your friend and higher-up would be something… more. You could potentially see that happening- but not here- not now. Maybe once this war is over, when we all have nothing to worry about; you think, wistfully._

_You are both bound for Mount Ebott, your legs carrying you with purpose- he had called you out to this hideaway for business- he’d told you- away from the institution where the walls had ears and the curtains had eyes._

_The moment you both stepped into the clearing, a gentle breeze combed through your tied up hair- your military uniform shielding you from the chill that the wind carried. You sighed- you could see why this place was considered romantic. The serene view of lush foliage and crystal clean rock made you swell with emotion. It was a transient moment of peace away from all the chaos and bloodshed that reality held._

_A rock face glinted under the calming sun- and you moved closer to inspect it. As you stepped closer, you realised that the shining came from a rune that had been etched into the surface of the rock, by the entrance to the cave, and you marvelled at the precision by which it was carved. This must have been the work of a mage, many decades ago when they still existed._

_As you were inspecting the rune and the cave entrance which housed a gaping hole, presumably to the underground, a large shadow loomed across the objects of your attention. Irritated, you turned around, only to face your friend and commander- the general of your country’s army- and his piercing brown orbs._

_He moved closer, and for each step he took forward you took one back- until you felt your hands touch the cold granite of the mountain that you’d previously been inspecting. He smiled that charming smile of his, perfect teeth showing through his pink lips ever so slightly._

_“You know the real reason why I brought you out here, don’t you?”_

_Your expression remained stoic. He laughed, breathily._

_“Don’t look so cold, babe-“_

_You flinched at the nickname. What was he doing?_

_“Hans, that isn’t professional. I’m going to forget that it happened.” You intoned, voice cracking from lack of use. He smirked, eyes glinting._

_“You know…” he started, his eyes growing thoughtful._

_“The military have this saying, that if you confess to your love at the clearing by Mount Ebott, you’re destined to stay together forever.” He glanced down at you, inching closer- until his face was directly in front of yours. You bristled, guilt wracking at your conscience._

_“What I’m saying is, we’ve known each other since before you… Well, I’ve done my best to take care of you. All I want to do for you- my second in command- is to be granted the opportunity to take care of you for life.” His voice melted like honey down your ears, but you put a firm hand against his chest, moving to keep the distance between you both._

_“Hans… I appreciate everything you’ve done for me- but I don’t think I can… reciprocate. There’s work, and research and the war-“_

_“Nonsense!” He leaned closer, one hand beside you and the other gently grasping your chin, tilting your head up to his._

_“I can make work easier- I can even make it disappear for you-“_

_“My answer is no.” you push him away firmly, but he doesn’t budge, his eyes flash angrily, his fury simpering._

_“You don’t know what you’re saying- I deserve you, just like you deserve me. I love you.” He pushes into you, forcing his mouth on yours, brusquely. His tongue moves to separate your tightly pursed lips, and you make a strangled noise, trying to push him away. He pins your hands by your sides, against the wall with some degree of effort._

_Trembling with anger, you lay your arms flush against the rock face- pooling energy into your heating palms- and release, watching with satisfaction as the rock beside your head turns a murky black for a fraction of a second, then swiftly extends outwards in an angular, vaguely cuboidal structure, smacking him square in the face._

_He stumbles back, hissing, nursing his temple, which promptly starts bleeding. You stand upright, and regard him with a smug satisfaction, fury satiated. He looks at the blood staining his fingers, and growls at you._

_“You fucking WENCH! Is this how you repay me for all I’ve done? I’ve done nothing but good for you-“he spat, grabbing you by the arms, a small scuffle ensuing. With his brute force overpowering yours, your combined thrashing sent you to the entrance of the cave._

_“You know what? Fine. The mission is yours. Go kill, dog. Collect their souls, like they do ours.” His words are vitriol from his mouth- he pushes you forcefully, and sends you spiralling down into the darkness._

_._

_._

_._

You snap back from your stupor, gritting your teeth, wind whizzing past you, whistling at you- mocking you- lapping the hot fury that had pooled in your eyes away from your face.

No. You can’t die now- you have to prepare. To prepare for the warzone that lay beneath the tranquillity- one writhe with hostile monsters. Your training- everything has led up to this. You knew it was kill or be killed, and you weren’t about to die at the hands of a human. If you would die, you would die with honour.

Your nose wrinkled with determination, and you angled your body such that you fell towards a rock face- and your palms made contact with the jagged granite. The sharp rock mercilessly tore through your skin like a serrated blade, and you hissed, but bore with the pain- feeling a familiar fire pool in your hands. You looked down below you to ascertain where the ground was. The yellow light of the ground was fast approaching, threatening to swallow you.

With a determined, strangled cry, you released the burning heat all at once through your palms, and you felt the rock below you acquiesce to your demands- a spike bursting from the wall, descending with you. You grabbed it ferociously, clinging onto it for dear life, hands raw and stinging. Holding onto the spike, your fierce fall grinds to a slow, slow stop.

You’re panting, hanging from the spike, arms trembling with the effort. Sweat runs from your forehead in large drops and you grimace. Trickles of blood begin snaking in rivulets down your arm, finally dripping to the ground beneath you. You look down- you’re a few heads above a large patch of golden flowers.

If you’d hesitated any more while falling, you’d be a pile of flesh and broken bones now.

Heaving a large- and needed- sigh of relief, you allow yourself to fall down into the plush flowers. You looks to where your blood stained the petals, and sheepishly wipe down the poor bush. The brushing reverberated around the cave- in fact, every movement you made sounded loudly in the deafening silence.

Stepping out of the garden of flora, you drop down to one knee.

You whip out a knife, you effortlessly tear through the fabric of your pants beneath your shin to make a makeshift bandage, which you wrap less than gracefully around your raw, bleeding hands.

               “That should be enough to stop the bleeding…” You mumbled to yourself.

Suddenly, the loud creak like that of an old gate opening screamed through the cavern- startling you and making you jump. You grab your gun from its holster around your thigh, and inhale deeply. You’re going to need to be calm to aim. You surveyed the area around you, and identified the source of the noise.

It had been a large, purple door- emblazoned with the easily recognisable symbols of the monsters. You pointed your gun warily at the entrance of the door- alert- as a towering monster stepped out of the shadows with loud booming footsteps. It stopped for a moment, seemingly preferring the anonymity that the shadows provided it, before stepping into the light.

               “Stay where you are. Do not move a single muscle- or I will not hesitate to shoot you down.” You snarled, emphatically. You looked up at the monster- he was bearded, and had a snout like a goat. No weapons. His two menacing horns protruded from his head in what you assumed was a show of dominance, a purple robe hanging from his expansively broad shoulders.

He looked at you, worriedly- and without a single ounce of menace. You gripped your gun tighter- and he stiffened, putting his hands- no- paws up.

               “My child, do not fret. I do not intend to harm you- I simply heard a loud crashing noise and came to inspect the damage.” His voice was deep, and dare you say, calming?

Your hold on your pistol loosened, and you relaxed your stance- as did he.

               “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Asgore, and I am the caretaker of these ruins. I come here every day to check if a human child has fallen down- but you clearly aren’t.” He chuckled, relaxing- before he noticed the blood blooming in your makeshift bandages.

               “My chi- human, you are hurt.” He corrected himself.

               “Let me see your wounds, I will heal them for you.” Asgore smiled, trying to look as charitable as possible.

Tentatively, you holstered your gun, walking towards him. You’re barely chest level with him, so he kneels down to inspect you. He unwraps your makeshift bandages, and you wince. You feel his paws against your hands- and they feel… warm.

               “Goodness, how did your hands get this raw?” His paws, which held yours, started glowing a mint green, and you felt the effects of his magic almost immediately, the itchy, stinging feeling replaced by a calming menthol. You hummed appreciatively, and Asgore looked up from your hands, smiling genuinely- before his attentions were brought to the spike that jutted out from the rock face- the very same one that you had used to break your fall.

               “Was that always there? My, that would be dangerous- I’ll have to take care of that later.” His eyes darted to you.

               “Now, how did that happen?”

You shrugged, passively.

               “I don’t know, it just happened, I guess. I’ve just always been able to do that since I was a kid.” You lied, averting his gaze. Asgore regarded you like a parent would their misbehaving child, with a lack of amusement, and he sighed- lifting his hands from yours. He was done healing you.

You inspected your hands, turning them around to assess the damage, surprised at the lack of scarring. Asgore stood up, and sighed above you. He strode over to the spike that jutted out, and touched it with a single paw.

A sharp crackle tore through the cavern, and before you could register what was happening, the rock spike burst into flames, turning to carbon- which Asgore flicked. You both watched as the flakes of carbon fluttered to the ground, raining down on the golden petals.

               “This would make for good fertiliser for my flowers.” He remarked, before looking to you- and breaking into a hearty laugh at your shocked expression.

               _So that is the power of magic? I don’t think I ever want to cross him._

He walked back over to you, his robe flowing with his pace, and he put a gentle paw on your back, leading you to the door.

               “I will take you past the ruins. I will not fight to keep you here, young one. You are already an adult- I understand that I cannot make your decisions for you. Just know that you are welcome to stay if you’d like- for the outside world is no place for humans.” At his warning, you stiffened.

You forgot. You were here to take their souls. You both stepped into a room with purple walls surrounding you. You looked up to Asgore, who kept a steady pace. Your heart twinged- you couldn’t possibly kill such a kind-hearted creature just for his soul.

               “So, I take it not all monsters are as… welcoming as you are?” You ask, voice lowering. He glances at you briefly, and he sighs once more.

               “No, I’m afraid not, young one. Some of them will try to take your soul to break the barrier.” He intones, gravely. You nod, but you knew that already.

               “You must be wary of her… of Toriel. She leads the charge- and lays waste to any humans who dare come to her castle.” His voice is even, layered with an undertone of spite. You realise, but given the topic, choose not to say anything.

You reflect on your morals, you had to kill these monsters and take their souls for the war effort above, but you hadn’t anticipated that they’d be worth any more than livestock. As a soldier, that was hypocritical to say- having killed countless humans from other countries- but those people knew. They knew what they signed up for, they knew what they were fighting for- but these monsters..?

They didn’t know any better.

You pondered this, walking through the ruins, observing your environments change, flashing by- you vaguely register walking into a quaint little house, and walking down into its magenta coloured basement- before Asgore grinds to a halt.

               “Here we are. The entrance to the underground- it is time we say our goodbyes, young one.”

You startle out of your reverie- something about the underground just makes you get lost in your own head. You look up to Asgore, to see his expression even, and forced. You can tell he wants you to stay.

You shift, awkwardly, before giving him a quick hug as thanks. Your hands barely reach around his waist- and he bristles, before dragging you back into another strong, familial hug. He releases you, stepping forward-

               “Take care, young one. You are welcome to return anytime.”

And he opens the two large doors, before taking his leave. You see him smile melancholically at you, before he turns and walks away. You smile at him, thankfully.

               “Mr. Asgore! Thank you!” You bow, and smile- genuinely, to see him wave at you from the foot of the stairs that led up to his house.

You turn around, and step outside, into the Underground.

                                                                         


	2. Wherein snow is white

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite skele-bros are introduced in an over-dramatic fashion, and the tall one doesn't seem to like you all that much. 
> 
> It's okay, you don't like him very much either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's been all of 2 days from me posting my first chapter and I'm already itching to write more before my holidays end- for all you lovely people who decided to read my trashy little installment in the UnderSwap fandom.
> 
> Special thanks to Ninji for posting the first ever comment on here- I can't stress how much comments mean to me and spur me on to write. I pretty much curled into a ball and screamed into my pillow when I saw that lil ol' me had received a comment, lol. 
> 
> Critiques are welcome! :-) Thank you for giving this a shot <3

A blearing white light tears into your eyes the moment you step outside. The darkness of the ruins did little to prepare you for the blinding white of the snow, and you blink rapidly, a fierce chill suddenly engulfing you.

Ignoring the semantics on how snow was able to exist inside a mountain, you stood in front of the closed doors, away from the retrospectively pleasant warmth of the ruins. You observed the thicket of trees on either side of the path that sprawled on endlessly in front of you, alert to any potential dangers, before continuing your trek forward.

The snow crunched pleasantly beneath your feet, and you found yourself walking with your mind staunchly set on a single goal: collect their souls. Asgore must have been something of an anomaly in the monster community- having warned you about the other monster- Toriel? And her proclivity towards violence. If something attacked you, then so be it- you wouldn’t hesitate to collect their souls.

After all, something so inclined to violence wouldn’t be so opposed to being fuel for a war, now would it? You reflexively trail your fingers across the ring on your ring finger.

These sadistic animals would probably enjoy it.

The merciless cold was starting to inhibit your flexibility, your muscles stiffening as you heave your foot over a large piece of darkly coloured wood. Spruce, you speculate- or perhaps that was just you projecting your own comforts from a familiar world into this foreign one as a coping mechanism. After all, you had no idea if Spruce trees were even capable of-

               **_-CRACK-_**

You feel your heart lurch- adrenaline involuntarily pumping through your entire body in bursts. They flow from your chest down to even the strands in your hair, which whip with your head as you spin around, eyes darting furiously to locate the source of the crack.

Your eyes were primed for movement- as a soldier’s eyes would be- but you saw none. You scanned your surroundings once more, before your eyes settled on the hefty branch that you’d previously struggled to step across.

It lay shattered, crumbled in the pure white snow.

Chills ran their way up your spine, like a menacing glissando on an off-key piano.

Something was following you.

_And it wanted you to know._

Your hands instinctively fall onto your thighs, cradling the pistols that lay flush in their holsters- aching to be used. You knew you could handle yourself if a monster did eventually decide to attack you- but the unnerving feeling of getting stalked was still stressful.

Despite the cold, you broke out into a cold sweat, brisk walking towards what looked like a dilapidated bridge, with out of place pillars, put there seemingly to bar large monsters from passing through- you reason. You shiver at the thought.

Right as you near the walkway, you hear footsteps, staccato- coming from behind you. You freeze despite yourself- those weren’t the footsteps of someone looking to swoop in for a surprise attack, no. They knew you could hear them- heck, they wanted you to hear them.

Those footsteps echoed confidence, in ability or stature- whatever it was, you got the strangest feeling that if you crossed whoever was walking up behind you,

               _You’d be dead where you stand._

You look forward stubbornly, refusing to turn around. You, a trained soldier- a trained killer- was unwilling to admit that the confidence and killing intent of the thing walking up behind you petrified you to the point of paralysis. There was nothing wrong about being scared of something so savage and potentially powerful- you told yourself.

The footsteps stopped- mere meters behind you.

A ghostly, cold hand found its way onto your shoulder.

               _“Human.”_

Your spine grew erect at the communication. It spoke.

               _“Don’t you know how to greet a new pal?”_

The monster had a low, gravelly voice, of neutral timber. You briefly registered the smell of pine, and something familiar that you couldn’t place. You felt the hand hesitate, before releasing your shoulder.

               _“Turn around and shake my hand.”_

You stalled, unsure of what to make of his demand. A hundred and one scenarios played in your mind of how it could potentially attack you. His- no- it’s voice seem to come from above you, so you reasoned that it must be at least a foot taller than you. The thought intimidated you- but no matter how it attacked, you figured that you at least had your trump card. You got ready to pool heat into your hands once more, as you loosened the grip on your guns, certain the monster wouldn’t like it if you held them.

Slowly, you pivoted on the balls of your heels, turning to face the creature in front of you. Your eyes ran quickly over its body. It was clad in a large orange sweater and its expression was obscured by its hoodie. A menacing shadow was cast over its face, leaving you unable to read it. It was surprisingly humanoid, wearing long black trek pants, streamlined with white stripes- and red sneakers which were… untied? Then you froze.

Its hand was nothing but bones. You shivered, before shakily moving to grab it- the heat pooling in your body- trickling- then swelling into your arms in preparation.

The aura emanating from it was suffocating. You grasped its’ hand, only slightly phased by its malleability. It gripped in turn, and you prepared to unleash the heat in your palms in what you hoped would be an attack devastating enough to finish it off in a single blow-

               **_PBBBBHHBHT_**

You blinked. The heat you had stored immediately left your body, leaving you feeling cold and empty. You were sure that your expression reflected a similar emotion.

Was that..?

_A fucking fart?_

You stood stock still, completely shocked by what just happened- the tension from your body gone- your eyes empty, and your face stoic. The skeleton angled his face upwards to get a read on your expression, and once he did, he completely _lost it._

The scratchy timbre of his voice almost sounded calming when he laughed- and you hated it. All that tension, for this?! You fumed, simmering, while he clutched at his abdomen, chortling.

               “y-ya really thought I was gonna do somethin’ to you, huh kid?” He snorted, wiping away mock tears from his eyes, which were but small black sockets. He sighed, content, collecting himself.

               “the ol’ whoopee cushion in the hand trick- never gets old.”

You simmer, not moving, regarding him with an aloof disposition. You would not allow yourself to be entertained by something as banal as this. He smirked at you.

               “not one for slapstick humour, eh? well, that’s fine- you don’t look like the type of gal who’d be into any sort of stick-y humour, seeing that you didn’t like it that much when I broke the other one earlier” he snickered, and you blanched. You hated him. He seemed to be waiting for you to speak, probing you by starting little snippets of conversation.

               “well, anyway- you’re a human, right? nice to meet ya, I’m Papyrus- Papyrus the skeleton, but you can call me Str-“

He cut himself off, hearing rapid footsteps which were quickly approaching the two of you. His eye flashes orange briefly, and a transient expression of discomfort crosses his face, but before you could check, it was gone.

His voice lowers, almost to a growl.

               “hey. hide behind me, quick.” You don’t move, unsure of what he’s getting at and if you should trust him. When he looks down at you only to realise you haven’t moved an inch, he glares pointedly at you, only for you to raise your own scowl at him, challenging him.

He hums discontentedly at how difficult you’re being, before grabbing your arm. You struggle against him-

               “H-Hey what do you think you’re doing?!” You scowl, thrashing, until he dragged you behind him, pushing you flat against the back of his jacket. He smirks, cockily.

               “oh, _now_ she talks.” You scoff at his victory and attitude, and he turns around, away from you, standing at his full height. He glances to the distance at the source of the pitter-patter of agile footsteps.

               “well, I’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but I don’t really care about capturing anybody.” He starts, the footsteps growing louder.

               “now my brother, Sans. he’s-“ Papyrus cuts himself off and smiles, briefly, then immediately stifles it- as if he didn’t want to let you see him smiling.

               “well, you’ll see.”

You unconsciously clutch at the soft fabric of his jacket, unnerved by the implications of that statement. Who was this ‘Sans’? You grip tighter, knuckles turning white- before you realise exactly _whose_ fabric you’re clutching beneath your fingers.

Mildly perturbed, you release your balled up fists from his jacket- not before taking note of how soft and smooth and... Comforting, it is, and how the warmth turns returns some semblance of feeling into your gloved but otherwise still cold fingers-

You shake your head, furious at yourself- feeling your face heat up. You chalk the blush up to anger at having been dragged around and touched by him, by Papyrus-

Or what was it that he wanted you to call him again?

You were once again shaken from your thoughts by a higher, shriller voice.

               “BROTHER!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, SO FAR FROM YOUR POST?” The voice shouted, emphatically. The figure in front of you shrugs lazily.

               “i dunno bro, just taking a walk, sitting at that station really gets my bones all stiff y’kno?” Papyrus drawls, casually. You hear the stomping of feet.

               “WELL THEN MAYBE YOU COULD’VE TAKEN A WALK TO YOUR PUZZLES, WHICH ARE STILL NOT CALLIBRATED!!! WHAT ARE YOU-“

You hear Sans pause, and you felt Papyrus stiffen.

               “whatcha looking at, bro?” Papyrus chuckles nervously.

               “BROTHER, WHAT ARE YOU HIDING BEHIND YOU?”

It was your turn to stiffen. You were what he’d been looking at. Oh no.

               “you’re seeing things, bro. I’m not hiding anything-“

               “PAPYRUS, I’M NOT STUPID! THAT THING STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB AGAINST THE WHITE OF THE SNOW!”

You flinch, your camo wear had indeed been intended for jungles, its dark greens and browns must have really contrasted with the pure white of the ice all around you. You hear Papyrus snicker, amused at the irony, before shrugging- a smile evident in his voice.

               “yeah, sorry bro, you’re too awesome. can’t get anything past you.” He moved to step away. You see Sans puff up with the praise, eyes closed and head held high- a proud grin stretched across his features.

               “OF COURSE, I AM THE SENSATIONAL SANS AFTER A- IS THAT A HUMAN?!”

You blink, waving awkwardly.

               “Yeah, uh, hi. Human here.” Sans’ eyes lit up, turning into literal stars. You blink- slightly entranced.

               “THAT IS AMAZING!!! THAT’S BETTER THAN AMAZING!!! I CAN FINALLY CAPTURE A HUMAN, THEN I- THE SENSATIONAL SANS- WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE!!!” Beside him, Papyrus shifts uncomfortably.

You cringe, and your heart falls- there’s a bounty on your head? It’s going to make getting out of here much-

               “RESPECT, RECOGNITION! I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY FRIEND!!!” Sans’ enthusiastic voice interrupts your thoughts.

Oh, so no bounty then? You visibly relax, and you can’t help but smile softly at the small skeleton in front of you. What lofty ambitions he has. He’s a good head shorter than you, and about two to three shorter than his brother. What he lacks in intimidating stature, he surely makes up for in pure, unadulterated enthusiasm. He clears his throat, still smiling- eyes wide.

               “AHEM, HUMAN! YOU WILL NOT PASS THIS AREA- I WILL STOP YOU WITH MY MIND BENDING PUZZLES! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU, AND YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL!”

You notice Sans shifting, nervously.

               “HUMAN, WHY ARE YOU SMILING LIKE THAT?”

You allow the tension in your cheeks to release- you hadn’t realise you’d been smiling so widely. You self-consciously fiddle with the ring on your ring finger. Papyrus’ half lidded eyes regard you with a tinge of curiosity.

               _Because you remind me so much of him._

               “Oh, just because I really admire your ambitions, Sans.” His eyes light up, and his face erupts into a brilliant blue.

               “WOWIE!!! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT!!! THANK YOU HUMAN!!!” His excitement stalls when he seems to stop and think, a gloved hand under his chin for emphasis.

               “I WILL PERSONALLY ESCORT YOU TO YOUR FIRST PUZZLE THEN!!! THERE IS NO ROOM FOR DAWDLING, MY BROTHER ALREADY LAZES AROUND ENOUGH FOR ALL THREE OF US, ANYWAY!”

He runs up to you, grabbing your arm and marching you forward, past the bridge, into a clearing of some sort. You notice Papyrus stiffen, a dark expression clouding his face- as he waits for you and Sans to march past him. He follows behind the two of you- and as Sans leads the way, grabbing onto your right arm, you look down at the silver ring around your finger once more, drowning in melancholy.

You feel Papyrus’ eyes boring into the back of your head.

 

 


	3. Wherein you are an anomaly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus' first introduction to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was actually mulling over whether or not a chapter like this would be necessary, as I originally thought the rehashing of a story point in another person's perspective would be too much filler- but as you can see I decided to write one out anyway, heh.  
> It's for that very reason, however, that I decided to keep this chapter short- to reduce the volume of my "filler" chapters, but also flesh out the world of Kintsugi a little more.
> 
> This is unchecked, as I have to wake up early tomorrow for work (in about 2 hours, lol) and I know that if I leave this chapter in my folder without posting it, I would eventually get too nervous after reading and editing it an unhealthy no. of times to ensure it flows well. So here you go, you lovely people <3
> 
> As always, comments are super duper welcome- so is critique and and any mistakes you spot. <3 Thank you for all your kudos', bookmarks and comments- they really mean a lot to me and really encourage me to write. :-) Ya'll make me so happy <33

Papyrus embedded his hands deep into his jacket pockets, fists clenched. He looked on at you and his brother, fuming- on high alert as Sans’ skeletal fingers wound themselves tightly around your arm. He clicked his tongue in annoyance- he couldn’t get a good read on you. You were hostile, tense- and most importantly, hiding something.

Papyrus was lying head down by his station when he heard the ruin doors creak open, and he immediately teleported into the woods- only to suddenly and violently buckle. His knees crashed to the snow below with a muffled thud.

_What the fuck was with all this screaming?!_

This was an anomaly.

His hands thrashed against his head uselessly as he tried to drown out the suffocating atmosphere- and the loud, ghostly wails and screams; the last words of all the dead riding on the back of whoever had just exited from those doors.

This wasn’t Frisk. This wasn’t the genocide timeline, as he so called it, nor was it the rare pacifist one- no-

_It was much, much worse._

Papyrus’ eye engulfed itself in an acidic orange flame which burned itself through his eye sockets. He smothered it with his palms, viciously scratching and pawing in a futile attempt to snuff it out. He breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his skull; despite knowing that this was all just in his head-but he had never encountered someone like this before. The screaming- the death- seemed to weigh heavy in the air.

It was for this very ability that he was appointed the royal judge, but he had never thought his position and power would come back to bite him so hard up the ass. There was something off about you though, and Papyrus fought hard to try and figure out what it was. Whatever.

He concentrated hard, gasping for breath, willing for the oppressive atmosphere to dissipate- and soon the wailing ebbed- and disappeared. It wouldn’t come back again unless Papyrus willed it to- he at least had that much control. Papyrus relaxed and crumpled backwards from his previous kneeling position to lean against the body of a tree- with his arm resting on a tucked knee and the other leg outstretched, still panting heavily.

Swallowing hard, he realised that he had to turn around and look at the human- or monster- whoever it was that found their way into the underground.

With laboured breathing, he lazily- or tiredly, he didn’t know- cocked his head to the side, watching a small, (relative to him, that is), dust-free human clasping at her hand, as she walked towards the large, out of place branch that he would have to break soon. His brows furrowed- this really was an anomaly, this wasn’t Frisk’s body, either. You didn’t have the imposing stature nor eyes of a homicidal maniac.

Typically, during the timelines in which the human would go full on serial killer, Papyrus would only be able to pick out a few voices when they exited the ruins, the most distinct one being the old man behind the door- he flinched at the memory.

Sighing, he closed his eyes in concentration- as the human lugged herself over the dark, heavy branch. He willed the voices of the dead that inhabited her soul to trickle through his mind- sieving through the army of voices for the deep, rich intonation of the man behind the door, or any of the monsters that lay behind in the ruins. He blocked out most of them, scouring for the signature timbres of the monsters that he knew by heart.

He breathed steadily, sieving through the cloud of hopeless voices.

Nothing.

Just as he thought- no monsters had been killed- but he did hear something else unnerving.

The quiet, breathy whimpers of young children.

Papyrus opened his eyes, and the voices vanished with a flash. He itched for a cigarette, pulling out a pack- before realising he forgot his lighter. He seethed, aggravated- both at the human and at his lack of ‘cancer-sticks’. He tossed his head back against the tree, grimacing.

               _just what has this human done?_

Then a thought finally dawned on him. Could this human reset? He couldn’t get an accurate read on the colour of your soul- there seemed to be something… in the way. Perhaps it would clear up if he got closer.

 Well, If you couldn’t reset- this might very well be the final timeline- the final run. He felt himself tremble at the thought- at the hope-

He could kill you, get your soul, and be done with everything. All the resets- all the deaths, but only on the off chance that you had the one missing red soul and not enough determination to reset.

Well, in order to find out, he would either have to kill you and retrieve your soul (which would defeat the purpose, as you’d either reset, or he’d have to pass your useless, non-red soul over to Dr Undyne, which he hesitated to do under any circumstance), or he would have to…

Bed you.

An immediate orange dusted his cheeks- and he placed a hand over his face, fingers against his two temples, groaning in disgust at having even remotely considered that option. He would and could never bed a human- let alone one with such a high level of violence.

He looked at you through the gaps between his fingers, trying to stifle his blush.

Damn, you were most definitely an anomaly.

You were a small distance away from the branch- fiddling with something in your hands- no- on your finger. A ring. Papyrus hummed with curiosity, orange blush fading. Getting up with a grimace, leaning on the nearby pine tree, he teleported over and stepped on the rogue stick hard- as he usually did for Frisk- and immediately blinked away. Typically, he would use this to differentiate a pacifist from a genocide timeline- based on the way the human reacted.

From the trees, he could vaguely see you whipping around, face paling, before your hands hovered over the small guns holstered on your thighs and you rushed forward. He tensed. You didn’t react like a typical genocidal Frisk, but…

Oh, you were dangerous alright. You were clad in camouflage gear that did not at all aid in your camouflage in this snowy area. Perhaps you should have stuck to the trees, but that would have been a bad idea too- after all- you would’ve come across him. He snickered.

Your military grade gloves seemed to be charred and torn down the middle, and the fact that they did not cover your thumb and fourth finger exposed a mildly conspicuous ring. Papyrus frowned. He wondered if that was by design. Your combat boots seemed to have been shined, but worn down recently.

He mulled over the information.

You must have been a soldier- or must be- it didn’t matter. You had combat training. He paused, eyes glazing over thoughtfully as he leaned against the solid wood of a shaded tree.

Perhaps that is why he felt the death of so many on your hands. He grimaced, and realised that he needed to get closer. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his whoopee cushion- tying it over his hands. This would be a tell-tale sign- your reaction to the lamest joke in his arsenal- this would be all he needed to ascertain the kind of person you were. But he still had so many questions, which could unfortunately only be answered through sensitive conversation.

Who were you, and why were you here?

What’s with the odd deaths that you harboured?

What was that ring?

Papyrus reflected further, and he shifted his balance, pushing off the tree he was leaning on to walk towards you. Then, a moment of insight finally clicked for him- though it spawned another, more disturbing question:

               _Why did you feel so damned familiar?_


	4. Wherein you have a moral epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You tackle a puzzle, and Papyrus gets suspicious of you. 
> 
> What's new?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, I had a quick lapse and fell into writer's block for a bit there- I already have the story planned out all well and good but the characters are just doing their own thing- and I writing around that took longer than I thought it would, lol.
> 
> Well anyway, here ya'll go! Do leave a comment or critique, I love hearing about what you like and conversely I want to know how to improve my writing! I always respond to all my comments so <3 
> 
> Thank you for reading :-) I love ya'll <3

You found yourself at the foot of a frozen lake, Sans having already scampered quickly over the ice to end of the pond and Papyrus having just… appeared there. You blink. Your eyes must have been deceiving you.

Papyrus had taken the liberty of following you and Sans around rather than teleporting straight ahead, and he allowed his eyes to wash over you, observing as you reacted to his brother’s loud antics.

               “…CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE RATHER… SHOCKING!!!”

A single gloved hand shot up to cover your mouth at the pun, the other hand clasping your stomach- fiddling with that damned ring again- and you looked away, eyes creasing, a smile forming beneath your palm.

Papyrus grunted. It was genuine- this wasn’t how humans with high LV usually acted- genocide Frisk taught him that much. He frowned, regarding you with suspicion.

Meanwhile, you were bathing in memories and melancholy. Witnessing Sans’ blindingly bright disposition had you sprinting down memory lane- but you quickly waved the thought away, in favour of listening to Sans’ information blurb- all the while ignoring Papyrus’ accusatory glare.

It was an invisible electricity maze, and funnily enough, your boots were insulated- so you knew you had no chance of getting hurt. You did however, still want to humour the little guy with his bright starry eyes. Sans looked at you, shaking in anticipation. You looked back at him, and felt your heart melting.

               _How would you bring yourself to kill him?_

You scowled inwardly, shaking that thought away- you couldn’t spare everyone you met, like you did Asgore. You knew in your heart that you didn’t want to, but you needed their souls- and lots of them. You would… you would cross that bridge when you came to it. You shrug it out, physically shaking out the cognitive dissonance out of your mind.

Tentatively and exaggeratedly, you inched forward closer to the ice- and Sans almost started to vibrate with the amount of excitement he exuded. You withhold a chuckle, and, wanting to humour him, meekly tapped the ice with the toe of your boot.

               **_ZAP!_**

You jumped- the crack of electricity jarring you- but you didn’t feel pain. You shouldn’t have triggered anything to go off. You looked at the skeleton brothers for answers, but found something else. Your cheeks puffed up in laughter, as you saw the charred little skeleton and his surprisingly unamused brother.

Black soot covered his bones- and he looked akin to a piece of black Mochi. He was holding onto a crystal sphere, which buzzed and crackled with electricity still. You hummed. So that’s what produced the electricity.

Was it supposed to be on the ice? It’d make sense- the electricity would be carried along the lake through conduction- perhaps Sans just forgot to leave it there-

               “uh… bro, I think the human has to hold the orb.” Papyrus eyed his baby brother with an amused glint in his sockets, eyebrow quirked up. He leaned down to clean the char from his brother, frowning when it wouldn’t come off. You blanch. You had to hold the orb? How did these guys capture any humans, like, ever? Humans could just choose not to hold the orb-

               “RIGHT YOU ARE BROTHER! I WAS JUST TESTING YOU!” Sans exclaimed, as he proceeded to walk across the ice irregularly, his charred shoes leaving a black trail across the lake. You giggle as he reaches you, hands outstretched to pass you the orb. He’d just revealed the solution to the maze- he was absolutely harmless.

               “H-HUMAN!! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?” Sans pouted, frowning. His face was shaded a light blue. Was that a blush?

Oh god he was adorable. You sigh softly, warmly.

               “No reason, Sans- come here, I’ll clean that off for you.” You chuckle, motioning for him to get closer to you. The indignant pout clears from his face, and he trudges closer to you. You notice Papyrus’ expression darkening again, as his shoulder tenses.

Ah, so Papyrus was very protective over his brother. He reminded you of yourself.

You pointedly avoid looking at the orange clad skeleton, focusing instead on the little skeleton in front of you.

You attempted to brush away the soot on Sans’ face with the back of your hand, and his large cheeks moved with the circular motions of your palms, squishing his wide eyes and mouth. It was like rubbing the cheeks of a big baby. You allowed yourself to snicker, content and giddy, grinning cheekily, and aggressively rubbed his cheeks.

               “AT LEAST MAKE IT LESS OBVIOUS THAT YOU’RE ENJOYING YOURSELF!” Sans huffed, crossing his arms. At that, the soft tinkling of your laughter rang through the area. Sans looked at you, and hesitantly, a small smile formed.

               “I’m sorry, you’re just too cute-“

               “OH MY- YOU’RE JUST LIKE MY BROTHER! I AM NOT CUTE, I AM SENSATIONAL- IT’S THE SENSATIONAL SANS, NOT THE CUTE SANS!!!” Sans stomped his feet, interrupting you. You giggled once more.

               “Alright, alright, The Sensational Sans, come here, the soot isn’t coming off so let me try something else- hold still, okay?”

Arms still crossed, Sans huffed his approval. You place your hands on the top of his skull, and feel your hands heat up, closing your eyes. Papyrus, who had previously been watching from the side lines, felt his alarm grow. A strange atmosphere emanated from you- which made Papyrus feel uneasy. He felt the weird energy crescendo, swelling- he almost reached his hand out to stop you but-

You released all the heat- and in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, the charcoal that coated Sans turned matte black, then became shiny. The shine was reminiscent of that of a graphite pencil under harsh light.

               “HUMAN, WHAT WAS THAT? WHAT DID YOU DO? THAT DIDN’T HELP AT ALL.” Sans looked confused- and you motioned at him to wait.

You took a deep breath in, inhaling the biting cold of the air, and blew at Sans’ face.

               “H-HEY WHAT DO YOU- OOOHHH!!!? PAPY, LOOK! I’M CLEAN AGAIN! OH MY GOODNESS! THAT WAS AMAZING,  THANK YOU HUMAN!” The black shell that coated him was somehow reduced to a fine powder, which flew off in a cloud of dust at your wind.

You looked over at Papyrus, whose expression was mildly shocked. You smiled smugly. For some reason, you enjoyed that expression on his face. He made direct eye contact with you, his eyes flashing dangerously as if to say “I’m watching you”, following which he collected himself.

               “heh, looks like she blew you away” Papyrus drawled, which immediately halted Sans’ excitement. He groaned dramatically.

               “UGH, PAPY!!!” You wanted to giggle at the brothers, but your expression remained neutral. You wouldn’t laugh at any of that lazy ass’ jokes.

               “ALRIGHT, HUMAN! YOU MUST NOW SOLVE THE PUZZLE! GOOD LUCK!” Sans ran back across the ice- trailing black powder wherever he went- obscuring the safe path. You tsk-ed. Damn, you hadn’t foreseen that happening. Well, whatever.

You held the orb in your hands steadily, discerning it’s mass. It felt rather weighty for its size, you noted. You gave the orb a few experimental tosses, hefting it up higher and higher with each toss. If the ball was the thing that did the electrocuting, your boots wouldn’t insulate you from anything- just confine the shock to yourself. You hummed, thinking through your options for a bit- before settling on one.

The orb landed in your hand from a particularly high toss. You breathed deeply.

Okay- you could do this.

You widened your stance, bending your knees, holding the orb as close to the ground as possible. With straightened arms and locked shoulders, you lobbed the orb upwards at an angle- predicting that it would land by the other end of the lake- then bolted across the frozen ice.

Sans gazed up at the orb with awe a small, excited squeal leaving his throat- while Papyrus arched a brow, curious, eyes trailing the arc of the ball. He scoffed, having calculated that the orb would not land close enough to the end of the maze for you to be safe, and was curious as to how you would circumvent that. He smirked- you shouldn’t have tried to brute force your way through.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have to kill you (or, do that other thing) to find out if you can, he could simply allow the trap to do that for him.

As you dashed across the ice, you noticed Papyrus’ shift from curiosity to self-satisfaction. You frowned, following his line of sight- until you realised the conclusion he had probably come to before you did. You weren’t going to make it- the ball was going to fall short- and you didn’t want to risk being in the splash zone of the ball when it ripped through the ice you were standing on.

Despite the situation, you smirked. You were going to wipe that smug, self-righteous grin off that stupid skeleton’s face.

Deciding to be a bit showy, you allowed yourself to tip your balance falling gracefully, performing an agile cartwheel to gain speed into a powerful somersault, whereby you pushed off your hands and catapulted yourself right up to descending orb- and at the apex of your jump, you lightly and gracefully kicked the orb, encouraging it forward.

You landed in an elegant stance, back straight and arms outstretched by your sides. You then bowed to Sans- who clapped gleefully. The orb landed right in front of Papyrus- who, hands still in his pockets, swiftly sidestepped it. The tuft of snow that the orb kicked up still landed on his jacket, however- and you smirked, the adrenaline wearing off.

               “nearly got me there, human.” Papyrus grunted, sarcasm dripping from his words. He swept the powdery snow off his chest. You allowed but the faintest remnants of a smug expression to remain on your face, and turned to look at him

               “Damn. Almost.” You retort, tauntingly. That would show him- he should never have underestimated you. He shot you a withering glare. You couldn’t help the grin that formed on your face. Sans seems to notice.

               “HUMAN, PAPY! PLAY NICE!” Sans admonishes, and you almost feel shame.

Almost.

He clears his throat-       

               “WELL, I HAVE TO SAY MS. HUMAN, I AM VERY IMPRESSED BY YOUR INTUITIVENESS AND AGILITY. HOWEVER, I SHALL NOT BE BESTED! AFTER ALL, I WILL ONE DAY JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD AS THE GREATEST MONSTER TO HAVE EVER CAPTURED A HUMAN! MWEH HEH HEH!!!”

Sans proclaims, then dashes off excitedly- shouting that he will meet you at the final puzzle. Papyrus doesn’t follow. You grimace. Damn.

You turn to him sharply.

               “Aren’t you going to follow him?” Papyrus shrugs, and nods his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets, walking lazily towards where his brother left. Damn, that tiny skeleton is faster than he lets on- you already lost sight of him. Papyrus walks past you, nudging into you- which knocks you slightly off balance. You scowl at him.

He cocks his head back towards you, a sardonic grin present on his face.

               “you comin’?”

You roll your eyes at his childishness, before trudging along behind him. You move to put your hands in your pockets in lieu of the cold, and the water that had gotten on your hands when you pushed off the ice in your acrobatic manoeuvre.

You trailed behind Papyrus, taking in the odd sights- the random plates of tacos and the scenery, in a tense quiet. You somehow got the sense that Papyrus was observing you constantly.

After a good five to ten minutes of walking, you couldn’t take the awkward silence anymore. You may not necessarily like the tall skeleton, but you could always use him to gain more information about the underground.

               “So, your brother wants to join the royal guard?” You break the silence awkwardly by asking a lead-in question, your voice slightly harsher than you intended it to be. Papyrus looks over his shoulder at you.

               “yep, he’s real cool. he trains every day for it, y’know?” Papyrus drones. You resist rolling your eyes at his careless tone.

               “He reminds me of my… He reminds me of someone I know. Treasure him, before you lose him.” You mutter- biting your tongue. You hadn’t exactly meant to phrase it like that. Papyrus’ eyes find yours, an undertone of anger washing through his words:

               “how’re you so sure I’ll lose him?”

Papyrus’ eyes flash dangerously, menacingly at you. His expression is neutral, but cold and calculated. You grit your teeth.

               “What are you implying?” You seethe.

               “that you’re dangerous.” Papyrus responds without skipping a beat. You narrow your eyes.

               “In what way? I’ve not exhibited any destructive behaviour towards you- I won’t attack unless provoked- that’s just human.” The lie turns bitter on your tongue, and you notice Papyrus twitch.

               “but killing _is_ human-“ Papyrus spins around abruptly, and you yelp as you’re swiftly pushed against a nearby tree, chastising yourself for showing a moment of weakness-

               “and apparently, so is lying.” Papyrus smoulders, his eye glowing an intimidating orange. He pins you to the tree, your hands above your heads- and he leans in dangerously close to you.

He pushes against you, and you realise he’s testing your strength- so you don’t resist. He hums, you’re not resisting? That’s either a show of confidence or grave stupidity. He doesn’t care for either.

You remain quiet- refusing to make a single noise- and he probes you further.

               “what if I provoked you, then, _human_?” He spat venomously. Your eyes flashed dangerously. You begin pooling heat in your hands once more, and the skeleton senses the shifting atmosphere, tensing, readying his magic in response.

               ”Don’t you _fucking_ try me, skeleton, I-“ you stop short, the heat leaving your palms in an instant, and your expression falling.

               “I couldn’t possibly take you away from your brother.” You mutter.

At that, the orange in Papyrus’ eye fizzles out- as he stood, spine erect, still holding you down. He doesn’t react- he doesn’t know _how_ to react. You bow your head, in defeat.

If he killed you then and there, you deserved it. But you couldn’t do to him what had been done to you. You couldn’t kill him, you couldn’t take him away from his loved ones. You finally realised you couldn’t kill them- the monsters- they weren’t savages, they were basically civilians.

Civilians who had feelings, who cared and loved one another. They didn’t sign up for war, they didn’t sign up to be monsters.

While you were deep in thought, Papyrus recoils from you, as if touching you physically burned him. Your hands drop to your sides, and instinctively start fiddling with the silver ring that coiled itself around your ring finger.

Papyrus opens his mouth to speak, a look of distress coating his features.

               “i-“

               “PAPY!!! WHAT ARE YOU AND THE HUMAN DOING?!”


	5. Wherein you have civil discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus enjoys antagonizing you, but you're nothing if not an independent woman who enjoys a bit of witty banter... and headbutts.
> 
> Also, the interrogator becomes the interrogatee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, back-to-back chapters? I'm spoiling y'all.
> 
> (Actually, I just got this done at 6 am, my time, and I am once again too excited to leave it in my laptop unpublished.)
> 
> My holidays are ending in two days, so I'll start stockpiling soon. Maybe. Would you rather I release chapters right after I write them, or fix a release schedule, so you know when to check back? Leave me a comment letting me know :-) (And also maybe drop me a critique, I'd love to know how to improve my writing!<3) 
> 
> Thank you once again for clicking, leaving kudos', bookmarks and comments. All my love goes out to yall, thank you for all your support. <3
> 
> (Also, we reached 10k words!! yippee!!!)

Papyrus startles at his name, but quickly composes himself. You do too, swiping the stray hair from your face, and rubbing your now slightly bruised wrists soothingly. Papyrus shoots you a stone cold glare, sighing haggardly.                                                                        

               “you. I’ve got a few questions for you later.” You nod, hesitantly, unsure of what you should and shouldn’t reveal to him.

               Sans runs up to Papyrus, waving to you, and tugs on his jacket pleadingly. Papyrus, with tired eyes, looks down to his brother.

               “yea, bro?”

               “I BYPASSED THE OTHER PUZZLES, SINCE THEY WEREN’T CALIBRATED-“ Sans stops to shoot his brother a scathing glare, and papyrus just shrugs it off carelessly.

               “oops.”

Sans rolls his eyes.

               “AAND I’M SURE THAT THE HUMAN’S INGENUITY AND PROFFESIONAL PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS FAR SURPASS THE NOVICE-FRIENDLY DESIGN OF THE OTHER PUZZLES!”

No longer shaken from your encounter with Papyrus, you chuckle-

“I’m looking forward to seeing your amazing puzzle, Sans, but…”

You allowed your statement to sit- channelling your inner sister. Sans looked at you, confused- before you assumed the character of a Bond villain, and erupted in an evil cackle.

“But you’ll never be able to beat me! Muahaha!”

Sans beams at you, literal stars forming in his eyes once more- and he grins confidently at your challenge. Papyrus looks on with an neutral glance, before he started walking ahead. Sans lights up, running in front of Papyrus to lead the trio.

               “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! COME THEN, HUMAN! I WILL LEAD YOU TO YOUR FINAL PUZZLE!” Sans strides forward assuredly- and you trail behind the two brothers, a small smile on your face- as you reflected heavily on the events that just transpired.

What will you tell your superiors? Well, superior. You couldn’t just walk out without a monster soul. You stalled. Wait.

How were you going to get out of here in the first place, without having absorbed a monster soul? Perhaps you could take one from a monster inmate, awaiting execution? Then you would have to request an audience with the queen-

The queen.

Asgore had warned you about her- about how she killed humans to get their souls- and there had been close to a hundred children that have either wandered off, or been sent to Mt Ebott unwillingly.

You should know- you co-signed the latter.

You shiver.

Perhaps it was just the cold. You rubbed your metal ring in guilt- only realising you’d slowed down only when you felt a gentle tugging on your uniform. Looking down, you saw the normally bubbly sans with worry etched into his prominent features.

               “c’mon, kid- you’re slowing us down.” Papyrus grunted in front of you, stopping. You stopped walking to- which led Sans to nearly tumble, having taken large strides to keep up with your leisurely pace. You resisted the urge to stick your tongue out at the tall skeleton.

               “I’m not a kid.” You grumbled, and Papyrus cocked a brow, smirking lazily. He walked over to you listlessly, stopping right in front of you- which led to you looking square at his chest. What was he getting at?-

               “huh, what? sorry, did you say something? say it louder- I can’t see you.” What? That didn’t even make any sense- he put a hand up to his brow bone, pretending to look out for you. You fumed- you were 1.7 meters tall- 10 cm higher than the local average. How dare this skeleton mock you, just because he was slightly taller-

You looked up-

Whoa, okay no- this guy was _tall_ , like way tall- like 2 meters tall. You sulked.

               _Still no reason to act like a douche._

You decided to clap back.

Sniffing nonchalantly, you strutted forward- forehead first- smacking straight into his chest- which staggered him, and he stuttered.

               “o-ow, what in the stars do you think-“

               “Oh, sorry, didn’t see you there-“You interrupted, feigning remorse.

               “I thought I walked into a lamppost- or a really large carrot.” You shrugged theatrically.

Papyrus glared at you, scowling. Beside you, Sans broke into a fit of suppressed giggles, and you offered him a questioning glance. Amidst his sniggers, you heard a tiny muffled voice.

               “Mweh heh heh, you called my brother a carrot-”

You had never heard Sans’ voice so quiet before- your cheeks tensed and you shook with restrained laughter at the little skelly determined not to let his brother know he was laughing. Still, your combined giggles urged Papyrus to heave a large, exaggerated sigh- and he pulled his hoodie over his head- to which you were sure you caught the ghost of a smile.

               “et tu, sans?”

Sans glowed brightly, grinning, as he bolted to his brother’s side- opting to walk with him.

               “DON’T BE RIDICULOUS, PAPY- I WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU!” At that, Papyrus seemed to genuinely smile- and he brought his hand down to ruffle the top of Sans’ skull- which seemed to annoy the lil guy, who pawed desperately at his brother’s strong grip.

               “GAH! PLEASE DON’T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!”

You snorted, heart warming at the sight. As the brothers strolled in front of you, you caught up- and decided to start a conversation. It could help you learn more about this new environment you were so unjustly thrust into, you reason.

               “So… I don’t know much about the Underground. How’s life down here?” You inquire tentatively. Papyrus cocks his eye towards you, but says nothing- and Sans lets out an audible hum.

               “WELL, IT’S BEEN THE SAME AS FAR AS I’VE KNOWN IT! TRAINING WITH ALPHYS EVERY DAY, THEN ONCE IN A WHILE A HUMAN, MUCH LIKE YOURSELF, WILL SHOW UP AND SHE CAPTURES IT. SAME OLD. SAME OLD.” You ponder thoughtfully on the introduction of this new character- fleetingly wondering what she was like. You take it that she wasn’t the friendliest monster you would meet.

               “BUT THIS TIME, I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!!” Sans strikes a pose. You give him an amused laugh, and he looks satisfied.

               “What about any efforts to break down the barrier?” If it was at all possible, Papyrus seemed to pale, his movements becoming jerkier. Next to him, Sans pouted, indignant.

               “WELL, PAPY USED TO WORK WITH UNDYNE, THE ROYAL SCIENTIST- BUT HE WON’T TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT HIS WORK.”

Him? Working in a lab? You nearly scoffed at the thought. An idiot who only thinks with his fists like him wouldn’t know the first thing about lab safety, or anything, in general. You looked to the older brother for a response, but Papyrus supplied nothing but a nervous chuckle- and you caught on almost immediately.

Whatever quality of lab techniques Papyrus had no longer mattered. You figured they were likely experimenting with the human souls- just like the humans wanted to, with monsters- and Papyrus more than likely wanted that to have nothing to with Sans. He wanted to shelter his brother.

You changed the subject almost immediately, your curious expression dissolving for a split second into a sorry smile, then a hearty smirk.

               “Used to? Makes sense, you look too lazy to do anything.” You drawled, intent on antagonizing Papyrus, who almost looked relieved. He smirked back.

               “welp, can’t say you’re wrong about that.” He responded, and you were almost unimpressed by his lack of a scathing retort. Papyrus briefly glances at his brother, pleased at Sans’ placated grin- before he shifts his attention to you.

               “why, already so eager to get out of here?” He probes. You hum, sidestepping the question.

               “No, not really. What do the both of you want to do once you get out?” Papyrus thinks for a moment, retreating deep into his thoughts to find an answer. He hadn’t thought of that one in a while. He breathes, lowly.

               “look at the stars.” Papyrus nearly whispers, and you sober yourself for a brief second- before the silence is interrupted by Sans’ unbridled excitement.

               “WELL, OF COURSE I WOULD MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE HUMANS, AND CONVINCE THEM THAT WE’RE NOT ALL THAT BAD! JUST SO THEY DON’T DRIVE US DOWN HERE IN FEAR OF OUR AWESOMENESS AGAIN!”

…

You’re speechless. Even Papyrus looks slightly surprised. You look at the innocent little skeleton, with great pity in your eyes- thinking about the war overhead, and what lies the monsters must have been told when they were being chased underground. His blind, optimistic pacifism reminded you once again of how much Sans resembled him.

               “Oh, Sans…” You murmur, softly- and Sans shoots you a confused look.

Papyrus, meanwhile, narrows his eyes in suspicion at your reaction- and you realised that the monsters had no way of knowing about the war that was being waged above them. You mentally chastised yourself for letting that small bit of information slip- Papyrus was more observant than he let on.

               “what’s been goin on up there, anyway?” he feigns innocence, but you know inside that what he wanted was answers. Should you tell them about the war? Would this count as treason against your country then? You bit your lip. The lamp post was unnaturally good at coaxing answers and emotions out of people. Cursing, you wondered if there was something more than met the eye to the tall skeleton.

               “Hmm?” You pretended not to hear the question, and Papyrus looked unamused. He glared daggers at you, as if to say ‘really?’

He opened his mouth to speak again, but- bless his soul- Sans started bouncing around excitedly, squealing. Feigning surprise, you look to him, trying to calm your beating heart.

               “WHATEVER, NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR UNIMPORTANT QUESTIONS! NOW IS THE TIME… FOR ACTION!”

Sans scampers across a rickety old bridge, followed by a deadpan Papyrus, not before he shot you one last glare, and they situate themselves right across the bridge from you, pulling out a contraption, seemingly from thin air, that housed a big red button. You blink, no longer phased by his antics.

               “WHEN I PUSH THIS BUTTON, THE UNBEATABLE PUZZLE WILL COMMENCE! HUMAN, ARE YOU READY FOR THIS JELLY?”

You look at Sans’ overexcited form, then at Papyrus’ amused face, and inhaled deeply. You knew you were in for something big.

You closed your eyes, steeling your mind shaking away your mild panic- and exhaled.

Your eyes shot open.

               “Ready as I’ll ever be.”


	6. Wherein you are a badass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You save a dog, and vehemently deny your height complex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, school is starting up again, and the final exams are coming up- so I might be updating a little less frequently. Nonetheless, I'm still as excited to write about this story as I am to see the comments you guys leave me! (hint hint, drop me a kudos, and maybe even a comment if you enjoyed the story and wanna see more! <3)
> 
> I'll update it once a week, on wednesdays, most likely! <3 But I might phase out towards August, as that's when my tests are scheduled for.
> 
> Happy reading! Drop me a critique, I really wanna improve my writing! :-) Thanks for supporting this story, i love yall to bits.
> 
> (also, dont worry, romance is coming soon!!!)

You choke.

You are not ready.

The mechanical whirrs of contraptions start descending- floating down- their mechanical whirrs and electrical buzzing compose a wonderful soundtrack to what would be your ultimate demise. You gape in horror at the sheer overkill of these machines, and you start sifting through them one by one.

A pair of sharp, crescent shaped blades sing as they slice through the air, like opposing pendulums- and as if that wasn’t bad enough, it appeared as though they were descending. Shit. Right after them were two rods- one at ground level and one at eye level that buzzed and crackled with lightning blue electricity- and of course, for good measure, there was a chainsaw a flamethrower, and… you squinted. A dog, suspended from a rope?

Sans seemed to have noticed your trepidation, and started fidgeting- he looked nervous, probably guilty. You didn’t want to see that look on his face.

You steeled yourself, putting up a confident façade- fake it til you make it, after all. You’d done obstacle courses like these plenty of times during your training- you shouldn’t feel so daunted by these… except that this carried with it a potential, yet highly plausible, risk of death. You shivered, but beamed, winking at Sans.

Your mind rapidly combed through your potential trajectory, and what you’d have to do to get past these death traps. You hummed, then shouted over to Sans, channelling your inner big-sister-entertaining-her-brother villain to the best of your ability, while trying to mask your inherent anxiety.

               “You think this will stop me, oh great and powerful Sans? You are sorely mistaken! Watch as I easily dismantle your puzzle- I can do that, right?” Sans beamed.

               “YOU CAN TRY, EVIL HUMAN!”

You’d take that as a yes.

There was no time for second thoughts. You took a few large steps back, then let out all your energy in a burst of adrenaline.

You shoot forward towards the bridge, and slide expertly under the blades as they narrowly miss your back. Keeping your momentum, you push up from your hands and dive through the middle of the electrical rods, feeling the fizz of the electricity burn off a few strands of your hair- the putrid scent briefly infiltrating your nose- before your swift tumble and roll immediately chased the scent away. Once again, you carried the momentum and kept dashing-

Only to immediately lose your balance, stumbling carelessly, dangerously close to the chainsaw- you had completely overlooked the swaying of the bridge. Sans cried out in worry, and Papyrus instinctively shoots out a hand.

You grit your teeth, assessing your situation, and a single, risky solution jumps out in your mind. Well, you had no choice, you had to risk it before you fell off the bridge. You pool as much heat as you can into your gloved hands, and you impulsively clasped the flat sides of the chainsaw blades between your palms in a loud clap- stabilising yourself and quickly releasing the heat in your palms within the fraction of a millisecond, discretely melding the material of your gloves into the cold metal of the blade.

Your gloves were now essentially glued to it, and that anchor caused the torque of the saw to mercilessly launch you up into the air. Making use of the momentum, you allowed your hands to slip out of the gloves, and you were flung into the air- the gloves getting sucked into the chainsaw- as it sputtered violently, and exploded- in a searing flame.

As you were up in the air, Sans audibly gasped, a whole galaxy twinkling in his eyes- his hands balled together in two fists- both in nervous energy and awe. Papyrus couldn’t help but supply a low whistle, silently impressed.

You land with a metallic thunk on the top of the flame thrower, intent to leap to safety from there. What you didn’t expect- once again- was for it to swivel, your weight having thrown off the balance of the large machine. Cursing, you stumbled awkwardly onto the safety of the snowy rock face by the brothers, watching helplessly as the flamethrower spewed its fire haphazardly, burning the bridge and the ropes that held it up.

You heard a sad, pitiful whining- and your attention shifted from the burning bridge to the little white dog that lay suspended, thrashing. You sputtered- you had completely ignored it, fuck- you weren’t even sure why it was there-

The rope that held the dog up was unfurling- it was burning away.

               _Shit shit shit shit_

Sans yelped something- but you couldn’t hear it. You didn’t register what was happening behind you- as you dart towards the dog. The rope snapped, and you dove onto the edge of the rapidly decomposing bridge- and clasped desperately onto the rope that was attached to the dog just in the nick of time.

               **_CRACK-_**

Fuck. You were barely given a second to breathe, before the bridge started crumbling. Your eyes darted around, before they settled on Sans, who was running towards you. You get up- and, with the dog in your arms, you book it to the end of the bridge- but you know you’re not going to make it. You’re falling, and he is slowly diminishing from your vision- getting obscured by the ledge of the rock face. With an aggravated cry, you tossed the dog towards Sans, who caught the terrified pup, getting knocked back in the process, as you felt your feet lose touch with the bridge- you were falling-

Was this it?

.

.

               **_no._**

You felt a strong hand grip yours tightly, and you unceremoniously slammed face-first into the harsh rock face. You feel your legs throb with the pain of smashing into the hard rock , and you taste something metallic in your mouth, and you look up, only to see Papyrus- a harsh mixture of concentration and anger on his face. With a grunt, he smoothly pulls you up. There is no resistance.

You collapse into the fluffy snow, leaning on your hands- your legs outstretched, still panting, with your heart still racing. You felt clammy- the adrenaline slowly ebbing, wearing off from your body.

Your now gloveless hands dug into the biting cold snow- and you could feel your fingertips numbing- but you didn’t care. You were alive.

You tossed your head towards Papyrus, who was looking at you with a neutral, yet tired expression. Still, he looked slightly relieved, with his shoulders less tense than they usually were. You try to catch your breath.

               “H-hey. Thanks.” You croak, still panting. He looks slightly surprised.

               “no problem, it was no big deal.” He shrugged, averting his gaze from yours. You smile- before you are bombarded by a barrage of excited licks, and a big hug from your favourite short skeleton.

               “THAT. WAS. AMAZING!!! WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO DO THAT, HUMAN?!” Sans all but screamed.

You laughed as you get knocked off balance by the intensity of his hug, and Papyrus snickers.

               “careful there bro, you don’t wanna go sending her down there again, do you?”

Sans scoffs, and rolls his eyes at his brother. For a moment, you feel a sense of déjà vu, and Sans’ silhouette briefly flashes into another, similar one. One that you’d thought you’d never see again. You can’t help the tears that prick at your eyes.

You only vaguely register their bickering, a sad smile only slightly present on your face- before you get knocked out of your reverie by Sans’ horrified screech.

               “HUMAN!! YOU ARE INJURED!”

You blink for a bit- before the adrenaline wore off and you realise a growing pain in your lip, and you realised you were bleeding slightly from the mouth. You chuckled, wiping the blood off with your forearm. Papyrus quirked a brow at you.

               “It’s just a flesh wound, nothing to worry about.” Sans looked confused.

               “NONSENSE, HUMAN! I WILL ESCORT YOU TO OUR HOUSE IN SNOWDIN AND GET YOU CLEANED UP!”

You pause for a moment, shivering in the snow, relishing the idea of a warm house.

               “You know what, sure. Thank you for your generosity, Sans.” His chest puffed up, and he looked pleased with himself.

               “ALRIGHT, GET UP! LET US SHOW YOU TO OUR HUMBLE ABODE.” Sans marched forth, and as you willed your body to follow along with the little skeleton, a sharp stabbing pain in your ankle caused you to crumble back onto the snowy floor, hissing as loose snow got tossed up onto your cheeks, as if you weren’t already cold enough. You wheeze huffs of mist.

               A shadow loomed over you suddenly- a large one. A little annoyed, you looked up to see Papyrus standing over you, hands in his pockets with an uncharacteristically worried look on his face, brow bone furrowing.

               “you ok, kid?” His tone was relaxed.

               “I-I think I might have sprained my ankle.” You responded, getting up unevenly, trying to hobble your way to Sans without putting any of your weight on your bruised ankle. You stepped into the easily compressible snow, and cursed when you had to use your injured leg to balance yourself, squeezing your eyes shut in pain. Your heart was hammering in your chest. Papyrus sighed.

He strode directly in front of you, before squatting down, his hands on his knees. You internally seethe- even at this height, he was still collarbone level with you.

               “get on, I’ll carry you.” You blanched, flinching.

               “No, I’ll walk on my own.” You respond curtly, and Papyrus cocks his head at you, looking vastly unamused.

               “and how do you propose you’re going to do that?” he asks, dryly.

               “I just will.” You stumble ahead of him, flinching at each step. Papyrus sighs heavily.

               “stubborn girl.” He gets up and strolls beside you, and he lifts one of your arms and hooks it around his shoulder. You tense up, eyes flashing in defiance- and you turn to look at him, and your eyebrow twitches. He’s hunched over, yet you still have trouble reaching his height.

               “Just what do you think you’re doing, Skeleton?” A look of passing irritation passes his face. He shrugs, and you get lifted off the ground briefly, landing on your ankle painfully. You hiss, and he snickers, a smug look on his face.

               “oops. just tryna help you get home quicker.” He’s as unapologetic as you thought he would be. You roll your eyes, but accept the help anyway- it does make it easier to walk.

Soon, your limping allows you to catch up with Sans, who looks questioningly at the two of you, but shrugs it off.

               “So, do you guys live alone out here?” You’re genuinely curious- you’ve still yet to see any signs of civilisation.

               “NO, WE LIVE IN SNOWDIN. IT’S A SMALL TOWN, BUT THE MONSTERS THERE ARE ALL EXTREMELY WELCOMING!” Sans grins.

               “yeah, there’s all sorts of stuff to do there.” You’re surprised when Papyrus adds to the conversation. You hum. What an interesting development. Papyrus takes that as a sign to continue.

               “there’s a library there too, since you’re so curious about the Underground and all-“

**_“NGAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”_ **

All three of you whip around, surprised- only to see a yellow dinosaur like monster, barrelling towards you. The tip of a golden spear that is rapidly shooting right at you is only a few meters away.

               “ALPHYS, NO!!!” Sans desperately materialises a translucent blue bone in his hands, and whips it around, to bat the spear away. A loud clang erupts, and the moment of impact between the two conjured weapons immediately causes sparks to fly. The spear swivels around in the air- pivoting around where the bone had come into contact with it-

And the butt of the spear slams right into your temple.

               “kid-“

               “HUMAN!!!”

The brother’s combined shouts is the last thing you hear before the world blacks out before you.


	7. Wherein you... who are you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You forget everything- but in losing your memory, you've found a new goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! My updates are going to come less frequently from now, since school's kicked everything into high gear. This chapter might be a bit messy- I have yet to go through and edit it- I'm rushing to get to the rOmAnCe 8D  
> (I know I said this was going to be a slow burn, and it is! But I'm still excited to get over the exposition dump and into the good stuff, if ya catch my drift ;D)
> 
> Please leave me a critque from which I can learn how to improve my writing! Also, if you enjoyed, lemme know by leaving me a kudos or even bookmarking my story! Yall are the ones who keep me excited to write, and I wanna improve for yall. <3  
> I love you guys!!

_A hand unfurls itself around your throat, like talons winding themselves around your neck- and they squeeze. You choke, spluttering- wheezing. Your vision is blurred- you can’t see the face of whoever is in front of you- you only know they are pale, and they are dangerous._

_Your hands fling themselves up to grasp and claw at the hand strangling the air out of your windpipe, and you see the white hot glint of a metal ring on your hand, reflecting light from nowhere in particular._

_“..ke up.”_

_You’re paling now, you can’t breathe- your face is turning cold- pressure is building up behind your eyes._

_“I said, wake up- wench.”_

You shoot up, drenched in a cold, clammy sweat. Your vision was largely blurred, and you couldn’t make out where you were. There was a near constant ringing in your ears that petered out as you regained your coherence. Your temple was throbbing, and so was your ankle. What happened? You blinked a few times, to rub the sleep from your eyes.

Where were you?

Well, on a green couch.

But…

 _Who_ were you?

Why can’t you remember anything? You heard a distant, vicious cry, coming from a separate room.

What was that? You peeked over the backrest of the couch, only to see an armour clad lizard monster raise a golden spear up towards a small skeleton, and seeing the fear in his eyes, your heart lurched, and burned with fear.

Every instinct in your body screamed at you to protect him.

Your body moved on its own, fuelled by anger and protectiveness. You hook yourself over the backrest of the green couch, ignoring the searing pain in your ankle, and throw yourself right in front of the small skeleton, shielding him. You thrust your hands into the floor, willing heat into your fingertips. The floor creaked beneath the lizard, turning a murky black, before it shot up violently- throwing the monster against a wall, and it caved in- a dust of cloud exploding in the kitchen. You growled, menacingly. Your words all but burst their way from your mouth.

 _**“Don’t touch my brother.”** _ You snarled, viciously.

You see the sockets of the tall skeleton clad in a sweater, who was previously leaning against a wall, unperturbed, go pitch black.

               “H-HUMAN! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? HOW DID YOU DO THAT?”

You whip your head around to the small skeleton… wait a minute. Why did you call him your brother? You look down- you’re human, how would that even work?

But why did he feel like a brother to you, then?

As you’re simmering in your own frustrating lack of memory, the lizard monster picks herself up from the rubble, stretching, and cracks her neck, cackling. You looked closer at her: One of her eyes seemed like it was permanently closed shut- and there was a nasty scar over it. You bit your lip. She didn’t look like she was new to violence.

               “You’re delusional! See, Sans? I told you we should just kill her! All humans are threats!” The monster shouts to the skeleton behind you, whose name, you realise, is Sans. She lowers her stance, getting ready to fight- before licking her lips. You growl in return.

               “HAH! I like your spunk, human. This should be fun.” Her eyes burn with a righteous fury. You tense.

Sans anxiously runs between the two of you, his hands outstretched.

               “EVERYONE, STOP! NOBODY HURT EACH OTHER, STAND DOWN, PLEASE! ALPHYS, LOWER YOUR SPEAR!” Alphys growls.

               “WHY SHOULD I? SHE PUMMELED ME INTO THE WALL! WE SHOULD JUST TAKE HER SOUL WHILE SHE’S INJURED!”

You snarl. Not on your watch. The tall skeleton pushes off the wall behind you, with his hands in his jacket pocket, he steps next to his brother, in between you and Alphys.

               “alph, stop.” He asserts. Your eyebrow twitches. For some reason, you don’t like the sound of his voice. His eyes flash towards you dangerously.

               “we still don’t know what she’s capable of. don’t pick fights you don’t know you’re going to win.” He stares pointedly at you, despite addressing Alphys.

She grunts in annoyance, but her spear disappears from her grasp anyway. However, you remain stoic- and Sans registers the tension dripping in the air.

               “I KNOW! I’LL GO MAKE SOME TEA FOR ALL OF US, THEN WE CAN TALK THIS OUT, ALRIGHT? PAPY, ESCORT OUR GUESTS TO THE LIVING ROOM, WILL YOU?” Sans busies himself with the preparation of the beverages. With the encouragement of a withering glare, courtesy of the tall skeleton, Alphys saunters over to the green couch, and plops herself down on it, eyes never once leaving you. Papyrus gestures to the sofa.

               “well? what’re you waiting for?” You glare at the tall skeleton, but decide to give in anyway. You limp over to the floor opposite Alphys, opting not to sit anywhere near her. She rolls her eyes, and the skeleton sighs.

               “well, kid- I got a few questions for you, but first, i didn’t quite catch your name?” He sits next to Alphys, and is hunched over- with his elbows on his knees. Presumably in concentration. You frown. You don’t quite like this skeleton, and your instinct says not to trust him. You briefly wonder what kind of relationship you had in the past.

               “I’m not telling you my name until you tell me yours.” The taller skeleton quirks his brow.

               “you don’t remember my name? do you even remember your own name, or how you fell?”

               “Papyrus, it’s just a ploy to get you to pity her!” Alphys groans. Papyrus ignores her, and looks at you.

               “What do you mean, fall? Where did I fall from?” You frown, avoiding the question about your name. Truthfully, you can’t remember. Papyrus frowns, before realisation hits them both, and Alphys roars with laughter.

               “BWAHAHAHA, I MUST HAVE HIT YOU SO HARD IN THE HEAD THAT YOU FORGOT, OH GOD, THAT’S HILARIOUS! I’M TAKING THAT AS A COMPLIMENT!” she chortles, throwing her head back gleefully.

Before you could say anything, Papyrus speaks up.

               “yeah, but now we can’t extract any information out of her, ya dingus.” Papyrus muttered to Alphys, and she sheepishly rubs the back of her head.

Papyrus throws his head back into the divot of the couch, his fingers massaging his temples in frustration.

               “you just made things a whole lot more complicated, kid.”

He arches the hand that’s over his face up slightly, to stare at you.

               “ya really can’t remember anything? at all? nothin about that weird power of yours that you kept hidden all this while?” He grills you, and you shake your head, looking down at your hands.

“To be very honest, I’m not sure how I did that. My body just sort of… moved.” He sighs brashly.

               “well, d’you mind if we search you? that way we can find clues as to where you came from, and possibly even who you were.” You nodded, figuring that you would eventually need to find out anyway. Papyrus stands up- and with a few large strides, he was next to you, examining you. Meanwhile, Sans walks in with a tray of tea- and you start looking through your pockets and small pouch that clung onto your belt.

The first thing Papyrus does, is to grab your right hand and pull it closer to him. You startle, turning red.

               “H-hey!” You flush, confused at what he was trying to do, and he shifts his attention from your hand to your eyes, giving you an amused smirk.

               “why? afraid I’m gonna jump your bones? don’t worry, I don’t see you that way- in fact, when I stand up, sometimes I don’t see you at all.” He snickers, and you lift your other hand to smack him- but he casually blocks your weak slap with his forearm. You tut, aggravated, before shifting your own attention to where his was.

A metal ring shone sleekly around your ring finger, glinting. It seemed polished, you definitely took care of it. Looking closer, you realised that there was writing inscribed on it. Papyrus hummed- it seemed he had noticed too.

               “MSG 94..? now what could that stand fo-“

               “Monosodium Glutamate, or, Sodium 2-Aminopentanedioate.” You instantly mutter. Papyrus looks at you, mildly shocked. You blink a few times, and realise what you just said.

               “you… what? you inscribed a sodium salt onto your ring? why?” You looked at him, incredulously- and so did the other two monsters in the room.

               “Pap, how did you even know what that thingamajig she spouted was?” Alphys asked, in disbelief.

               “ARE YOU JAPING US, HUMAN?” Sans supplied, to which you shook your head. Papyrus immediately deadpanned.

               “you can remember that, but you can’t remember your name or how you got here? heh, figures.” He scoffed, and you scowled at him.

               “What’s that supposed to mean, skeleton?” He ignores you, and you resist the urge to roll your eyes, or stick your tongue out at him or something.

He continues to check through your belongings, confiscating two guns, a knife, and a few energy bars. You blanch at the weapons he pulled out, as if they offended you to your very core.

Papyrus seemed to notice this, and he quirks his brow- that seemed inconsistent.

               “what’s with that face?” he seems to stun you out of your thoughts.

               “Just… Who was I? Why would I have these weapons..? I don’t understand.” Papyrus quirked a brow, then his expression darkened.

               **_“don’t play dumb with me, human. I can tell you’ve killed before.”_**

An aura of threat looms over you- static builds up around Alphys, and the air feels heavier around Papyrus. The cups of tea on the table are rumbling- the liquid in them is threatening to spill. While Papyrus’ expression is unreadable, Alphys’ is clearly that of anger. Raw, unbridled anger.

               “What? No, no that can’t be- I wouldn’t… I would never kill!” You stutter- but you feel doubt festering in your heart. You haven’t killed- how could you have? It’s not… You wouldn’t- that’s how you feel.

You wrack your brain for memories that might explain things- but you come up blank- like you’re trying to assemble a piece of pottery that’s been crumbled into all but dust.

Papyrus scoffs at your weak defence- he knows you’re lying.

               “you say that as if you didn’t just try to kill Alphys- and that power of yours… what else would it be for if not for killing? look at what you’re wearing- it’s a soldier’s uniform, don’t tell me you haven’t hurt anyone.”

At Papyrus’ monologue, you look down at what you had on- it’s true. You had guns and knives- you had camo wear- you were a soldier. Does that mean you… you feel dark circles forming under your eyes- and your hands start trembling. You clutch at your wrist- cognitive dissonance screaming in your head.

_No! This is not who you are- No, no, no, no-_

               “PAPY, STOP!”

You look up at the source of the noise- it was the little skeleton- Sans.

               “EVEN… EVEN IF THE HUMAN HAS HURT SOMEONE BEFORE, IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN HER FAULT! AND EVEN SO, I BELIEVE THAT THE WORST PERSON CAN CHANGE- THEY JUST NEED THE RIGHT SORT OF HELP- AND WHAT YOU’RE DOING ISN’T CONSTRUCTIVE!” Sans pleaded on your behalf- but Papyrus all but scoffed.

               “bro, you’re too naïve- what if she’s dangerous? what if she-“

               _“I couldn’t possibly take you away from your brother…”_ Your downtrodden eyes suddenly flashed in Papyrus’ mind- and he flinched. Alphys took the opportunity to barge into the conversation.

               “What if she hurt you, Sans? What if she hurt your useless brother- you know he can’t defend himself like you can? What would you feel then?!” She growls, but Sans is stubborn.

               “WELL, OF COURSE I’D BE THERE TO PROTECT HIM! BUT THE HUMAN HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT KIND TO ME- SHE SHOWED NO SIGNS OF VIOLENCE, OR ANYTHING! I TRUST MY BROTHER BUT MAYBE… MAYBE HE’S WRONG- MAYBE YOU’RE WRONG, ALPHYS!”

Sans looks down at you, still clutching your arm.

And he smiles- the most genuine smile you have ever seen.

               “I BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMAN!” You felt your heart pound.

You can’t remember spending time with this monster- you can’t remember ever growing attached to him- but that sincere look on his face melts your worries away.

If he believed you, you could afford to believe in yourself too.

You were snapped back to reality at the sound of Alphys’ exaggerated groan.

               “Sans, I knew you were too good for this- you don’t know any better, okay? You-“

               “alph, stop.” Papyrus sighed, and he stuffed his hands back into his pockets.

               “i trust her too.” You look up at him, surprised. Something within you told you that this was not to be expected. Alphys looked at Papyrus with a mixture of incredulity and anger.

               “WHAT?! PAPYRUS, I-“

               “didn’t expect this from myself either, but logically speaking- she would be more useful alive than dead, too. It’s been nearly ten years since the last human fell- and human technology could have made leaps and bounds.” He started.

               “we don’t know what’s going on up there- but I have a hunch that this human knows more than she let on. we could wait for her to regain her memories- and decide what to do from there.” Alphys let out an annoyed snarl.

She hated it when Papyrus was correct.

               “You know what, FINE! If you want to keep her alive, then she’s your responsibility, not mine!” Alphys stormed out of the living room, and out the house. You realised that you had been waiting with bated breath, and you let out a large sigh at her absence. She wasn’t necessarily the nicest person to be around.

You turned around to look at Papyrus- who had collapsed into the sofa- looking weary as all hell. You blinked, and realised that he didn’t want to have to take care of you.

               “Hey, it’s okay, I don’t mind going alone to find a way out of this place, I don’t need to bother you-“

               “you can’t get out- none of us can. you’re trapped down here with the rest of us until dr. undyne finds a way to break the barrier or…” Papyrus stops himself, sighing. You look at him, confused. Barrier?

               “NO, DON’T LEAVE, HUMAN! WHERE WOULD YOU GO, ANYWAY? IT’S ALRIGHT- YOU CAN STAY HERE, WITH US!” Sans grinned from ear to… non-ear. You couldn’t help but smile, albeit a little sadly, back to him.

               “It’s okay Sans, thank you for your hospitality- but I’ll just find some place to be on my own, that’s okay-“

               “no. you’re staying here.” Papyrus roughly interjected, and you looked at him with an annoyed expression.

               “it’d be easier to keep an eye on you here. besides, your ankle is broken- and you’d just freeze to death out there before you find a place to live.”

You open your mouth to retort- but it’s true. You don’t know anyone, or anything about the world around you- you don’t know who you are and you don’t know what would happen to you when you regained your memories… If you did. You blanched.

               “Okay, then I’ll stay here.” Sans brightened visibly, stars forming in his eyes. You did a double take, but smiled nonetheless.

               “alright, but it won’t be free. you stay if you agree to these conditions: one, you work with undyne to help break the barrier any way you can- I have the slightest hunch that you’ll be valuable to the effort. two- you try your best to regain your memory- it will help all of us better understand what’s happening up there and would be a great help to toriel once we break free. three; you hurt absolutely **_no one._** is that understood, human?”

You nod- unable to come up with a retort. You would have felt guilty staying there rent free, anyway- but helping this… Undyne person? From your previous outburst, you guessed that you were a scientist, or at least someone who knew at least a little bit of science, but you had little confidence in being able to help much. And who was Toriel?

Whatever, you pushed the thoughts away- it was fodder for another day’s worry. Papyrus heaves a sigh of relief at your cooperation.

               “alright, cool.” He plops down onto the sofa.

               “that took a lot outta me. im gonna take a nice, long nap to recharge.” And he knocks out almost immediately.

Wow. That was almost elegant- how quickly and easily he slipped into a state of rest.

You looked to Sans, who was brimming with excitement- he was nearly shaking. Well, he was sure was a jumpy one.

               “HUMAN! HUMAN! WOULD YOU…” He shifted his feet nervously- and you chuckled at him.

               “Would I…? Sans, use your words.” You giggled at the shifty little skeleton.

               “WOULD YOU TEACH ME HOW TO FIGHT??!”


	8. Wherein you take a break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little break before and after the action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. I fell sick midway through presentation week, and had a lot of work to catch up on. Hence why this was also a relatively short chapter. Next chapter will be better, I promise! Also, I think I'll start posting on Sundays, so look out for that. Sorry that this is so short :<
> 
> Drop me a comment letting me know how to improve my writing, and whether or not you enjoy reading this silly little story of mine! I love you guys <3

“I… I fight? I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to do anything like that. Especially with my ankle being the way it is-“

               “OH!!! RIGHT, I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL FIX THAT FOR YOU!”

Sans all but scrambles to your position on the floor, nudging you into a prone position, eagerly throwing off your boot to take a better look at your swollen ankle. The sound of your boot thudding onto the ground next to the couch briefly stirs Papyrus in his sleep; and he creaks open an eye in observation.

Meanwhile, the smaller skeleton is concentrating intensely with both palms, one over the other, resting right above the bruised bone. You briefly wonder what he’s trying to do- before a mint green glow emanates from his palm and you realise-

               _“I will heal them for you.”_

A baritone voice inserts itself into your head, accompanied by a brief zap of pain through your skull. Sans is… healing you? Why did this seem familiar to you? Your hand unconsciously reaches up to your temple, and you rub at your head.

               “what’s up, human?” You hear a smooth voice, and you open your eyes to see a lazy skeleton staring intently at you.

               “Nothing.” You mutter.

Papyrus looks unimpressed. You sigh-

               “I think I just remembered something.” Papyrus’ eyebrows quirk up.

You respond by shaking your head, blearily.

               “But I can’t quite… put a finger on it.”

Sans perks up nonetheless.

               “IT’ OKAY, HUMAN!!! JUST TAKE YOUR TIME. HOW IS YOUR ANKLE FEELING NOW?” Sans gets up, a light sheen of sweat covering his forehead. You get up, and roll your ankle experimentally.

               “It’s… so much better! Thank you so much!”

Sans looks extremely pleased with himself, and he beams brightly at the praise.

               “GREAT, NOW YOU CAN TEACH ME HOW TO DO THAT THING YOU DID SO I CAN IMPRESS ALPHYS THE NEXT TIME WE SPAR!”

You chuckle at his enthusiasm, shifting your weight back and forth apprehensively to test the stability of your ankle.

               “Sans, I don’t think I can teach you how to fight- I don’t remember much about anything, I’m sorry.” You feel a slight tinge of guilt at letting him down, but you’re also mildly comforted- someone as innocent as him shouldn’t need to know how to fight. You look to him, anticipating his disappointment- but, to your surprise, Sans perks up even further.

               “IT’S OKAY, HUMAN!! THEN I CAN TEACH YOU!!!” Sans bounces around excitedly, and you regard him with amusement. But you didn’t see a need to fight, you were just going to help Dr Undyne, weren’t you? You were just about to decline politely, when a low, gravelly voice interrupts.

               “good idea, bro. maybe it’ll help jog her memory a bit, too.” You turn to glare at him, slightly annoyed.

               “And what makes you think you can make my decisions for me, skeleton?” Papyrus does the skeleton equivalent of an eye roll.

               “hey, our house- our rules.”

…You can’t say no to that. So you stick your tongue out at him.

               “Duly noted, dad.” You taunt. He seems unimpressed, but he scoffs lightly under his breath anyway.

               “maybe we can work on that magic thing you do, too- so you can fix our wall. we can start tomorrow, after we’ve all gotten some sleep.” Papyrus hoists his weight up and off the couch, heading for his room. You glance outside the window- it’s still bright out..? You didn’t notice a change in light levels from your encounter with Alphys just now.

               “Aren’t you a bit too lazy, to go to bed when it’s still bright out?”

Papyrus deadpans at you.

               “the light levels here in the underground remain approximately the same throughout the day. they’re artificial lights- have you forgotten where we are?” You flush intensely. Was that offensive? Oh god, how could you have forgotten? Sans chuckles lightly beside you.

               “IT’S OKAY HUMAN, WE’LL SEE YOU TOMORROW, BRIGHT AND EARLY FOR TRAINING OKAY?!” And with that, Sans scampers up to his room- and you catch a small glimpse of Papyrus as he closes the door behind his brother.

               “stay out of trouble. see ya tomorrow, kid.” The door clicks behind them.

You’re alone in the living room now, and you drag yourself over to the couch- your new bed. Well, you couldn’t complain. It was warm- well, relatively, anyway- comfortable, and you had a roof over your head. You tuck yourself into the bed, thankful for your long sleeves, what with the slight chill in the air- as you allowed your thoughts to keep you company.

You had no idea who you were- nor did you have any idea how to recreate what you did to Alphys just now, with the floor. You remembered the heat in your hands and the drive of your soul to protect the skeleton; but why had you wanted to protect him that badly? What were you doing down here?

Sleep weighed heavily on your eyelids- you supposed Sans’ healing had made your body tired as well. You tuck yourself closer together for warmth. You were drifting in and out of consciousness now, fighting sleep - so much so that you had to exert energy to lift up one of your heavy eyelids to observe your hands.

               _Just what are you capable of?_

And with that, you allowed the darkness of sleep to consume you.


	9. Wherein you horse around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You stumble your way into a bar and get hit on by a horse.   
> You never thought you'd ever think that phrase out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, exam season is here- which explains my lack of updates. Sorry, sorry- I know I said I'd post on Sunday, but I fell really sick so aaaa   
> Updates will be infrequent until after the second week of August- I need to focus on bringing my chem grade to an A from a C to keep my GPA at 4.0 :') 
> 
> So here, I promised a long(ish) chapter, here ya'll go. Not checked, it's 1:30 in the morning here, the only free time I have left. I hope you guys enjoy the story thus far!  
> I love you guys, thanks for the comments, kudos and bookmarks- they give me so much life and motivate me to write to a dramatic extent. <3 I reply to all comments, so just lemme know how you feel, maybe drop a critique or two so I can improve my writing! <333  
> I love yall sm muah- enjoy!

_You’re in a plane of manta-black. You call out, but your voice get absorbed into the nothingness- the sound doesn’t even reach your ears. The only proof of your shout was the vibration of the vocal chords in your throat._

_You feel your heart rate pick up- it’s so quiet that you can hear every thump of your heart, you can even hear the blood gushing around your body. You swallow- and for a moment, it’s the only sound you can hear. Your throat is dry and scratchy- you cough, hacking your lungs out- but you hear nothing._

_You’re terrified- you can see nothing, and at the same time, you see everything: you’re hyper-aware of your body- of every digit of your finger. It’s as if there’s a spotlight on you; but at the same time, there’s no light at all._

_You cry in frustration- and tears bead at your eyes at the lack of sound._

_You’re alone- you don’t know who you are and how to get out of here, wherever this is. You don’t know anyone who you can call out for help to: you don’t know anything. The empty space in your head is infuriating- you hate this: you hate being terrified like this- you hate that your heart is beating so fast-_

_You hear a shuffle._

_A voice inserts itself into your head._

_“You can call out to me.” It’s smooth- you don’t know who it belongs to._

_“You can always ask me for help, darling.” You feel a hand caress your jaw, lifting your head up. Tears are streaming from your face- but you don’t know why. You attempt to summon your voice._

_“Who… Who are you? Where are you?” Your voice comes out shaky- fragile, like glass- but you sigh, recognising the sound of your own voice and basking in its familiarity. You hear a deep chuckle._

_“Who am I? Where am I?” The voice sounds amused- and you still can’t figure out where it’s coming from._

_“You’ll find out eventually, my dear.” The voice hikes up- and you are suddenly thrust from your comfortable stupor- feeling a heavy pressure weighing down onto your shoulders- you drop to the ground, feeling your knees thud on the hard floor._

_“As for where…” You feel the fingers tighten around your jaw and neck- constricting your air flow._

_**“I am everywhere.”**_

_Your neck snaps with a loud, ugly crack._

A sudden pain jolts you awake- and your hand flings itself up to your throat. It’s sore… why is it sore? Your heart is racing, and you’re sweating up a storm. A heavy blankets drops to the ground beside you, as you shift uneasily on the couch. Where are you..?

You’re in the brother’s house- on their sofa.

Your legs tangled themselves comfortably with the soft fabric of the blanket. You smiled- it must have been Sans that left it there.

Speaking of whom, you hear an excited, satisfied cry emanating from the kitchen. You smile, peeking over the backrest of the couch, and you see Sans in the kitchen- holding a pile of steaming tacos. Around his armour, he sported a small, blue apron that had ‘I believe I can fry’ sewn into it- and you chuckled. This caught his attention, and he beamed at you- smile widening.

               “HUMAN, JUST IN TIME FOR BREAKFAST! I MADE SOME FOR ALL OF US, SO WE WILL HAVE ENERGY FOR TRAINING LATER!” You smile at his enthusiasm, and you respond by kicking off your makeshift bed, picking up the blanket that had dropped onto the ground. You folded it into a neat square, reminding yourself to thank Sans for the blanket, and for breakfast.

               You all but waltz into the kitchen, relishing in the smell of home cooking. For some reason, you get the feeling that you don’t get to smell that very often, so, you cherish every second of it. You plop onto a chair at the empty dining table, and Sans hands you a plate.

               “PAPY! WAKE UP YOU LAZYBONES, OR WE’LL HAVE BREAKFAST WITHOUT YOU!”

               As you survey the contents of the plate, you thank Sans for the delicious smelling breakfast, as well as for the very comfortable blanket he had left. The little blue skeleton looked at you quizzically.

               “WHY, THE BREAKFAST WAS NO PROBLEMO! BUT I’M NOT SURE WHAT BLANKET YOU SPEAK OF. IM SORRY, HUMAN.” You blink a few times, processing what Sans had said.

               “heh, no problem.” A raspy, yet oddly smooth voice pipes up from beside you, and you jump. You hadn’t seen him come in- what? Sans gleefully passes his brother a plate as you sat, perplexed. You sputter,

               “It- the blanket was- when did you come in?” You manage to huff, with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. Papyrus smirked at you, shrugging conveniently, as he poured a large gob of honey into a cup of tea, to which you blanched at.

He caught your disapproving glare, and shot back a lazy wink. You ignore it pointedly, in favour of the amazing smelling food in front of you.

               “So, what’s the plan for today?” You ask, shovelling San’s breakfast tacos into your mouth at an alarming rate. For some reason, a home cooked breakfast felt foreign to you. Sans hummed, putting a finger to his chin, while Papyrus sipped lazily on his honey-with-tea beside you.

               “WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT, SINCE PAPY HAS A HIGHER DEFENCE, HE CAN TEACH YOU HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF BEFORE YOU SPAR WITH ME. WHILE I AM MUCH STRONGER THAN HE IS, HE IS THE ONE WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO CONTROL MY MAGIC… SO PERHAPS HE COULD TEACH YOU TOO!”

Sans chirped happily, while Papyrus nearly spat his tea out. You notice this- heh, serves him right. You decide to seize the glowing opportunity to antagonise the tall carrot.

               “Sure, I’d love that! I can’t wait to spend time with your brother.” You grinned like a Cheshire cat, and your eyes flashed over to Papyrus, who had a deadpan glare etched into his features. You suppressed a giggle.

               “THAT’S GREAT, HUMAN! I ADMIRE YOUR SPUNK, AND WILLINGNESS TO COOPERATE!”

Sans proclaims, the little stars in his eyes lighting up his features. Papyrus sets his mug down, and sighs deeply.

               “don’t I have a say in what I do in my spare time?”

Sans shot his brother a glare.

               “IF YOU DO YOUR SENTRY DUTIES YOU’LL END UP SLACKING OFF ANYWAY, YOU’D BE OF MORE USE TO THE HUMAN.” Papyrus snickered at that.

               “got me there.” He conceded with a shrug, before turning his attentions to you.

               “well if I’m gonna teach you, you better eat quick. we gotta long day ahead of us, and I don’t like my students to be tardy.” He smirked at you, victoriously.

Damn, that lazy hypocrite. You realised that you had given him a leg up in social standing by allowing him to be your teacher- and you clicked your tongue in frustration. You didn’t like the idea of being bossed around by someone like him.

Whatever, you’d live with it. You jumped off the barstool you had sat down on, zooming to the doorway- startling the brothers. You opened the door with a click, and felt as the rush of cold air all but slapped you in the face.

Stepping outside, you leaned back into the house to shoot the orange clad skeleton a mischievous tongue.

               “I’ll race you to the training grounds then, I wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

You stuck a tongue out at him, and ran out the door, leaving behind two confused skeletons.

               “does she even know where to go..?” Papyrus directed the question to his brother, who returned a worried glance.

               “NO… I DON’T BELIEVE I TOLD HER WHERE THE FOREST CLEARING WAS.” Sans muttered. Papyrus shrugged, and went back to his food- much to San’s chagrin.

               “PAPY! DON’T YOU THINK YOU SHOULD GET HER?”

Papyrus seemed to entertain the thought for a moment.

               “…nah, it’ll be more fun to see her figure it out herself.” He snickered, to which Sans sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment for his brother.

 

Meanwhile, outside, you were sitting blankly on a foot ledge outside a bar. In your haste to spite Papyrus, you had forgotten that you had no idea where to go. You deadpanned- how could it not have occurred to you that you’d not known where to go?

You sighed heavily, your warm breath becoming mist in the cold air of the town you were in. Your head tilted upwards, and your eyes scanned the sign that was bolted above your head.

               _Muffets_

Huh. Perhaps you could go in and ask for directions to the nearest training area? You huffed. You didn’t want to see the look of satisfaction that would be on that stupid, smug skeleton’s face when he figured out you’d been sitting in the cold, lost and awaiting directions.

You gathered your wits about you, and strolled into the establishment- the heavy door leading into the establishment offering some degree of resistance- you guessed it was to protect its patrons from the cold- and you hesitantly stepped into the warmth of the bar.

Immediately, you were greeted by jazzy music that emanated from a jukebox in the corner of the deep purple room. A spider lady, dressed sharply in a matching black and purple vest stood watch behind the bar, cleaning glasses diligently.

Surveying the room, you realised that it was rather packed. You had seen a few monsters here and there in your brief time outside the brother’s homes, but you hadn’t seen so many conglomerated in one area before.

Your eyes scanned the various monsters, taking notes of their appearances, as you breathed lowly- in wonder. You guessed that this wasn’t the sort of thing that could be considered “normal” from where you came, given that it almost completely took your breath away.

Suddenly, a strong hand grasping your shoulder startled you from your wandering thoughts. You turned around, half expecting Papyrus, only to come face to face with a… With what you can only describe as a horse… Mer-horse? With ridiculously exaggerated abs.

Your eyes wandered from his eyes, his clearly groomed hair, down to his glossy green tail- and you bit your lip in absolute wonder. You could see he was clearly obsessed with his looks, but…

 _What an amazing creature_ \- you thought.

_And those abs… I can’t even count how many singular “ab”s there are on my fingers..!_

You blinked wildly when you suddenly heard him cough. His voice was deep, baritone, and ridiculously smooth as he spoke.

               “Hey, eyes up here.” He chuckled, and you felt an embarrassed heat rise to your face. You stepped back a few steps, and he let his hand drop from your shoulder, eyes following you, as you laughed sheepishly.

               “Ah no- no, I wasn’t-“You stammered, face turning a tomato red under his watchful scrutiny. Amidst your fluster, you didn’t notice him glance down at your hands, your ring winking at him under the light of the bar. He laughed lightly, before placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder once more.

               “Hey, relax- I was just joking. Anyway, my muscles tend to have that effect on people- so I’m used to it.” He wiggled his brows, and you laughed a little at his bravado.

He retracted his hand, holding out to you for a handshake- which you gratefully accepted.

               “The name’s Aaron- I come by here often, but I’ve never seen you before. Care to grace me with a name?” His grip was strong- and you opened your mouth to introduce yourself but…

You didn’t know your name.

You stammered slowly, trying to draw out enough time to make something up.

               “Uh… I, uh- my name is-“

               “there you are, shorty.” You were interrupted by a familiar timbre.

An orange-clad skeleton appeared by your side suddenly.

               “heh, nearly couldn’t find you in the crowd.” Papyrus snickered, ignoring your irritated growl as he cast Aaron a friendly head tilt.

               “yo bud. lookin’ good, as always.” Papyrus greeted slickly, leaning into Aaron for a fist bump, to which the horse monster reciprocated jovially.

               “Hey there Papy, you too. So, you know the pretty lady too? I’d love to hear the story behind that.” Aaron winked slyly at the skeleton, to which he chuckled.

               “nah, we just met the other day- now she’s leeching off me and my bro.” He shrugged lackadaisically, and you glowered at him. You seethed through your teeth at Papyrus,

               “Hey are you guys just going to talk over me or-“

               “Ah, so she’s still available then?” Aaron winked suggestively at you, before taking your hand, pressing a gentlemanly kiss into it.

You were caught off guard by the sudden romantic gesture, and the words died in your throat.

               “I-I- uh…” You stammered, and you internally cursed at your lack of diction, as heat essentially radiated off your face in waves. Papyrus scoffed at you.

               “what our very literate friend here is tryna say is, perhaps another day- but not today. we gotta go train- San’s orders.” Papyrus supplied in your stead. Aaron blinked, and then erupted into a deep laugh.

               “Ah, typical Blue. Well, tell Sans I said hi anyway, Pap. And as for you…” Aaron glanced down at you, slicking back his long black hair.

               “You know where to find me.” He winked at you, and left to sit at the bar with the spider monster- as you felt the blush spread to the tips of your ears. Papyrus rolled his eyes at you, scoffing brashly.

               “c’mon Juliet, we got training dummies to stab.” He drawled, as he led you out of the bar, fingers wound tightly around your arm.

You stumbled after him, as he effortlessly strolled past the heavy doors, with you in tow.


	10. Wherein you get boned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title is self explanatory ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take this early chapter as an apology for missing a week and that short, disappointing chapter :')   
> This was quite a long one, and i was quite excited to write this, also because it provided me a reason not to study for exams hA
> 
> As always, drop me a kudos to let me know you enjoyed the chapter, maybe you can even drop me a comment ;) those spur me on to write a looot keke
> 
> I love you guys <3

You followed Papyrus into a quiet forest clearing, where the snow was flat, tough and worn- and where the flora around you was unnaturally quiet.

You wondered how far into the forest the both of you had walked, and how far from civilisation the two of you were- when he finally stopped, turning around to look at you.

The both of you stayed like that for a while, passive and quiet. Neither of you made a move to speak to each other, and the only movement came from when Papyrus dragged himself over to a tree stump to sit on it.

Was he… slacking off? You grumbled under your breath.

               “Hey, what’d you drag me out here to do, even?” You asked him, with a frown etched into your brows.

               “hmm?” He intoned lazily. You huffed.

               “We’re here to train right? Well, train me!”

He regarded you for an instant with a bored expression.

Without speaking, he leaned down to pick up a stray twig from beside the dark stump he was sitting on- and your irritation slowly morphed into curiosity. What he was doing?

He tossed the twig lightly up in the air a few times, testing its weight.

               “if I tell you to dodge, would you be able to?” he drawled.

               “I guess..?” You weren’t that confident. After all, Sans had claimed that you’d had combat training, but you didn’t feel like-

You stepped aside quickly, narrowly avoiding the twig that Papyrus had thrown at you.

               “Hey! What was that f-“

A snowball lobbed its way into your face, and you heard a low snicker.

You swiped the freezing snow off your face indignantly.

               “H-Hey!” You protested, glaring at the tall skeleton who had situated himself nicely on his stump. He smirked at you, playing innocent. At that point, he decided to test a theory that he’d had regarding your muscle memory. He hummed.

               “dodge.” He commanded. You looked at him, slightly confused.

               “Huh?” He clicked his tongue in annoyance. He didn’t bother repeating himself.

His eye suddenly engulfed itself in an orange flame, and he casually waved his wrist, and several small, translucent bones formed in front of you, bobbing carelessly in the air. You whistled lowly, impressed by the nonchalant display of magic that you had just witnessed.

Not like you’d ever admit it, though.

Your eyes scanned the orange tinted bones, trying to supress your fascination. You felt a primal curiosity, perhaps even an urge to just… pick one out of the air and study it intently.

That didn’t last long though, as the bones came hurtling towards you.

You let out an undignified yelp as you careened around the passing bones, avoiding all of them. You heaved a sigh of relief, before directing your indignation to Papyrus.

               “Pft, that all you got, big guy?” You taunted. He didn’t seem affected.

               “that was like, level one- don’t get your panties in a twist, shorty. didn’t feel like killing you immediately, my bro would’ve been mad.”

As if to prove his statement, he summoned more of those small bones, and you noted that this time there were more of them.

               “Bring it on, you overgrown carrot.” You quipped.

Papyrus tried to maintain a bored expression, but his mouth twitched upwards slightly, betraying him.

               “well then, here comes level two.” He let loose a grin right as the bones flew at you- and you steadied your stance, ready to dodge.

.

.

You had no idea how much time had passed, but you were panting and sweating up a storm, despite the chill in the air. You felt your legs burning with the exertion, as you reached up to wipe a few stray beads of sweat.

Papyrus had long since abandoned his tree stump, in favour of standing up. With a slight glimmer of satisfaction, you noted that his mouth was parted slightly, and his breaths were deeper, he was likely weary from his use of magic.

You’d gained confidence from all the rounds of dodging his attacks, revelling in the rhythm of sidestepping and rolling. He’s yet to hit you. Fuelled by the adrenaline, you smirked and called out to him.

               “Carrying all that extra height tiring you out there, tall-ass?” You winked at him smugly. He grinned back at you.

               “not even close, shorty. last level, let’s see you dodge this.”

He drew his arms up, leaning back slightly- as his fingers curled forcefully into his palms. The flame in his eye grew more fervent and flickered aggressively, as many more bones of varying lengths materialised around him. You had long since recognised the pattern the bones would come in, and your chest swelled in anticipation of moving around more.

Papyrus threw down his arms, and his attacks flew at you mercilessly. The redundant bones thudded dully around you, missing you and embedding themselves in the snow- disappearing with the contact.

As you deftly hopped and stepped, Papyrus couldn’t help but notice the grace with which you moved; practiced and controlled- no wasted energy. By this time, Sans would have tired out considerably.

Well, colour him impressed.

Not that he’d ever say it though.

Your brows furrowed in concentration as you continued to dodge the last wave of his attacks, and your lips pursed together. Papyrus felt his own tug up slightly, as he observed you in your element. His grin grew wider as he clandestinely sent a stray bone in your blind spot, once his wave was over.

               _Thwack!_

You grunted as a hard object knocked into you from behind, forcing the wind out of you. Already tired, you allowed your knees to hit the ground, steadying yourself- panting. Your back burned where the bone hit you- and it was testament as to how Papyrus wasn’t going easy on you. You grinned.

The snow crunched beneath Papyrus’ feet as he walked up towards you, extending a hand to help you up. You took it, and he pulled you up smoothly- revelling in the warmth of his hand that seemed to melt away the cold.

               “not bad- but you look tired. never thought you’d need so much energy to dodge, given your size- or lack thereof, anyway.” He grinned, as you dusted off the snow from your knees and looked up at him, a fiery spark in your eye.

If his heavy breathing was anything to go by, he wasn’t doing so well off either.

               “Well, you aren’t looking so hot there yourself, you-“

**Thump.**

Your heart lurched in your chest, and you crumpled to the ground, clutching it harshly- trying to breathe in the air that had been ripped from your lungs.

               **Thump. Thump. Thump.**

Grunting in pain, you claw at the ground desperately. Your back was burning where the bone had hit you, and a sharp fire was inching its way up your spine, and into your chest. Your lungs bloomed with pain.

               “P…Papyrus…” You cried out weakly, your mind in a jumbled mess of pain- all you could do was clutch your chest.

You felt a monumental amount of weight press into you, and you shook with the pain as it tore fiercely through the fibres of your muscles in your neck and shoulders.

               “Pa… Papyrus, wha…” You wheezed, the lack of oxygen in your lungs burning with each passing second.

Papyrus’ knees dropped to the ground beside, his heart in his throat. What was happening?

He took a quick scan of your HP, and found something peculiar-

Of course. Your health was draining rapidly, and he knew immediately what it was. How could he have forgotten?

               _karmic retribution._

He sighed, wiping the nervous sweat that had formed on his forehead. It wouldn’t kill you.

His warm hand found its way to your back, and he pat your back soothingly- you flinched at the contact.

               “hang on, it’ll be over soon.” he breathed calmly, and you responded to his tone by relaxing your shoulders and squeezing your eyes shut, grunting at the pain.

After about half a minute, the gruelling pain subsided- and you shakily drew in a long breath, opting to stay in the position you were in; that is, lying in the cold snow. Your eyes remained shut, as you attempted to gain your bearings.

What was that? Was it Papyrus, did he hurt you on purpose? Did he-

A calming, warm sensation filled you suddenly. You tensed at the foreign feeling, then relaxed- humming pleasantly. All the questions that had previously burned in your mind immediately dissipated.

A crystal clear, intoxicating sensation flooded from your back slowly, flowing carefully into your chest, arms, and all the way to the tip of your fingers.

You likened the way the sensation flowed to the viscosity of honey, and the aid it provided you was similar to how honey warmed your throat when you drank it- so much so that you didn’t even notice the cold chill of the snow you were laying on. You cracked open an eye to look behind you, to find the source of this feeling.

It was Papyrus, sitting cross-legged beside you, a hand on your back and another propping his chin up- a mint green glow pulsing from his fingertips.

He was… healing you.

That was an… interesting sensation.

               “How are you doing that?” You muttered, just as you felt him retract his hand. You sigh, missing the calming feeling almost immediately.

               “magic.” he murmured.

               “uh… I don’t think I should be sparring with you again anytime soon. sorry ‘bout that.” he avoided your gaze, pulling himself up- and you followed suit.

               “It’s alright. I… uh, I feel alright now. Great, actually.” You supplied, trying to ease the tension in the air. He didn’t respond, opting to stuff his hands into his jacket pockets, walking to the abandoned stump.

               “Hey, how about you teach me how to do that thing you did, instead? Healing would be useful, don’t you think?” You asked him as he sat down on the stump.

Papyrus looked you over, impassively mulling over the thought.

               “you gotta be a monster to learn magic… but what you did back there at the house, with alphys- maybe you can learn it.” He muttered, thoughtfully. You grinned, as he picked himself up again, and he looked cautiously at you.

               “sure you’re up for it? y’know, after all that-“

You shushed him, waving away his concerns.

               “I said it was fine- I’m ready. We don’t want to disappoint Sans, now do we?”

Papyrus’ lips twitched upwards.

               “can’t laze around anymore, then. let’s get started.” He cracked his knuckles, grinning lazily, and you sauntered towards him.

The first thing Papyrus got you to do was imitate what you did back at the house, after describing to you the basic mechanics of magic- how it was connected to your soul.

But it was all foreign to you. You thudded your hands to the ground in futility, unable to draw out what Papyrus had described as a “battle mode”- an alternate state of consciousness wherein senses were amplified, and sparks of power flowed through your being, allowing you to reshape and will the world around you to change.

You sat down with breathing techniques- techniques that Papyrus had taught Sans in order to awaken his own magical potential. You rubbed your hands together rapidly to try to recreate the feeling of warmth in your hands that you’d felt previously-

Nothing.

The both of you attempted this for a few hours, only taking small breaks- until Papyrus sighed roughly- a hand to his head. He sank down onto the snowy ground, and leaned against the trunk of the decapitated tree. You just observed him.

He reached into his jacket pockets, pulling out a small box- tapped out a cigarette and settled it between his teeth. You raised a brow.

               “You smoke?”

He gave you an unamused look.

               “yea, why?”

               “Does Sans know?”

               “yea, but he’s not happy about it.”

You tutted, sitting down next to him. He fished around his pockets, then clicked his teeth, cursing under his breath. He realised that he still didn’t have a lighter.

Mildly aggravated, he fiddled with the stick between his fingers, looking down at the snow.

He’d not taught you anything today- just found out that you retained the muscle memory from before you got your amnesia. You could still dodge and you retained your instincts for self-preservation, which was good, at least. Man, Sans was going to chew him out when he got home-

               **_Click._**

The staccato clicking noise made Papyrus blink. He looked over at where you’d opted to sit next to him, seeking out the source of the noise, before his eyes widened.

               “What, you need a light don’t you?”

You sat next to him, knees tucked to your chest- your face lit up a light orange by a tiny flame that flickered nervously, nestling itself on the tip of your index finger and thumb.

Papyrus dropped his cigarette.


	11. Wherein you fix it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Witty banter ensues, and the age old question is asked:
> 
> "Can you fix it?" 
> 
> Turns out, the answer is yes you can- but not without breaking a skeleton and a human along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, its me again! Here's an extremely long chapter (this one is like, 8 pages long in word!) to apologise for my absence for the past week or so, as well as an advanced apology for my absence to come. I've been mugging like crazy for finals- and i feel extremely dead rn HAHA.  
> It's 3 am where I am right now, and it took me all of 5 hours to write this- and I only did it because i was so moved by your comments that i just had to give yall another chapter. Sorry if there are any mistakes/ weird phrasing, I'm extremely exhausted and I have to go study now gahaha  
> I'll be back around mid august unless i decide to procrastinate and risk my future for the sake of this fanfic again, no promises though! My livelihood hangs in the balance gahaha and I such at keeping my priorities straight
> 
> Anyway, I love you guys to death, thank you so much for commenting- this is how much yall inspire me HAHAH. So drop me a comment / kudos / bookmark to let me know that my sacrificing of studies was not in vain <3 You could also drop me feedback on my writing so I know what yall like and dont- just to make this a better read for everyone <3  
> (Again, sorry if there's weird phrasing or anything in this chapter, I promise I'll come back and make it flow better when im not running on pure caffeine!)

A warm, sepia glow illuminated your features in little flickering bursts, and Papyrus realised this was the first time he’d ever actually looked at you up close. His eyes drifted from the little flame on your finger to you; drinking in your expression. He fully intended to simply analyse you but-

Your eyes sparkled with a dazzling curiosity that only bubbled to the surface whenever you were confronted with something you didn’t understand. For some reason, he held in his breath, deciding that he ~~enjoyed~~ didn’t mind the look of eager inquisitiveness on your face, completely taken in by your own magic.

His eyes flicked downwards at the movement of your hand, hesitantly reaching up to cup the flame that settled itself calmly on your fingertips, and he noticed the glistening ring that suffocated your finger, bathed in the angry orange of the tiny flame.

He lets out his breath.

Tearing himself away from the sight that lay before him, he reclined into the tree stump, allowing his back to hit the wood with a loud clack.

This startled you, and the hand that so gently cupped your little fire jerked, fizzling out the already tenuous existence of the light. You blinked rapidly, slightly stunned- and disheartened at the loss of the warmth.

               “you think you can recreate that?” His voice comes out lower, more hostile than he expected it be. You startle-

               “Uh… I don’t even know how I did it in the first place, I…” Your brows furrow, in what he figured was concentration.

               “I can try, though.”

He watches as you crumple to the ground beside him, opting to sit against the stump as well. You repeatedly snap your fingers, trying to will the fire to appear. Your hands appear to be getting warmer, but nothing really happens- and Papyrus takes the opportunity to observe you once more.

You bite the corner of your bottom lip when you concentrate, he realises. You’re squinting mildly, and your tongue darts out of your mouth occasionally to moisten your chapped lips. Your hair falls to the side of your face, and you have to consistently sweep it aside because you’re slowly leaning towards your snapping fingers without consciously doing so. At that, he snickers quietly under his breath.

He blinks when he realises your snapping is getting faster, and he turns to look at your expression once more. Your cheeks are flushed, and he catches you glancing to him from time to time. He realises he must be stressing you out.

Mildly embarrassed that he’d been caught staring, he cocked his head away from you, averting your gaze. He should be acting like he didn’t care- so he took out a box, tapping out another cigarette-

Before realising he still couldn’t light it. That’s why you made the fire in the first place.

He was an idiot. Papyrus’ teeth clicked in irritation, and you inhaled shakily from beside him. Crap, doing that just pressured you even more. He sighed internally, realising that the least he could do was try and recreate the lax atmosphere from before.

Papyrus raised his hands, before crossing his legs and leaning on his thigh, smirking lazily.

               “heh, it’s alright. no rush, shorty. we got all day.”

You turn to glare at him, but he just winks at you- and you go back to trying with a steadier hand. He smiles.

Good.

Your snapping drones on like a metronome, and Papyrus just does what he does best: laze around. In fact, you’re pretty sure that he fell asleep at some point, arms crossed and buried in his hoodie.

You try and try to light the fire, to no avail. Looking over at Papyrus’ resting form, you realise that he has a finger resting by the side of his mouth, and that he’s unconsciously tapping it. Blinking, you realise that he’s itching for a cigarette, and your expression falls slightly when it dawns on you that he’s just patiently waiting on you.

Unnoticed by you, one of Papyrus’ eyes crack open once he feels a slight shift in the atmosphere, and he takes in your dejected face.

Hm. A small weight hangs from his chest. He bristles- he must really be craving a smoke, right? No, no- that’s not what this feels like. He hums in thought. Does he want to see your face light up in victory again?

_nah, I just don’t like that pitiful expression on anyone._

He surveys your downcast disposition once more, before a devilish smirk grows on his face. He calls out to you.

               “hey.”

His voice was slightly scratchy from the lack of use, but disrupts the silence well enough anyway.

You respond with a despondent hum. He rolls his pupils at the distracted response.

               “you not up to the task? heh, it’s alright, I bet I could run home and grab a lighter faster than you can light up a cigarette.” He stretches casually, bones popping- as he closes his eyes in mock nonchalance.

You stall for a second, before the implication of what he said sets in.

               “Is that a challenge, carrot?”

He shrugs, settling back into the stump with his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. He creaks an eye open.

               “what’s it to you? want a handicap?” His smirk grows wider, and you feel a competitive spirit rise up from within you.

               “No. Go away. Go on, git. Get your lighter, I’ll show you who’s slow.” You stuck your tongue out at him, shooing him away as you get back to lighting that flame with more fervour than you ever did. He scoffs.

               “your height really reflects your maturity.” He drawled.

You turn to shoot him a scathing glare- but he was already gone. You blinked quietly to yourself. How does he do that? Whatever- you shake it off.

_welp._

Papyrus was back at home in Snowdin, in his room, sprawled across his bed. Sans was already out with Alphys, as he didn’t hear any noise in the house. He tilted his head towards the clock on the wall that showed the arbitrary time in the underground.

Sighing, he turned back to face his ceiling, and he pondered for a bit. Perhaps he’d give you thirty minutes of uninterrupted practice before he showed up back there.

He blinks a few times.

Nah, maybe he’d give you 10 minutes. He’d been too nice to you today, trying to lift your spirits by challenging you and all. If he was nice enough to issue you a competition, he sure as hell was going to win it.

Gazing back up at the ceiling grounded him to reality once more, and his heart fell. How could he forget?

He groaned, draping an arm over his face in frustration, pointedly ignoring the sticky note he had taped on the ceiling.

               **_The world has not reset._**

.

.

.

Ten minutes was up.

Papyrus jumped out of the bed, hastily yanking open a drawer to pull out a lighter, not bothering to catch or question himself for being so willing to rush out of the house.

Without wasting a single second, he blinked into the clearing- and the sight that met his eyes made his jaw drop.

You were sitting on a wooden bench, which was weird enough in and of itself- but what really made the scene was you, calmly nursing a football sized ball of fire within your two hands, as you carefully swivelled your hands around the flame in concentration to maintain its form.

When you realised Papyrus was there, you smirked devilishly, basking in the oh-so-great joy of victory, having wiped the smugness on his face clean off.

               “Huh. I thought you’d take longer.” You grinned at him, moving aside on the long bench you created.

You moved your hands apart, and the fire flickered away in wisps which floated upwards, and dissipated. You patted the bench next to you with your now free hand.

               “This thing isn’t limited to just fire, as I’ve found out. Come, come- sit. This is fresh out the oven, so it might still be warm.” You winked at him.

Papyrus couldn’t wipe the dumbfounded expression off his face, but he sauntered over to the bench anyway.

You pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a snap of your fingers. The smell of tobacco permeated almost immediately from the stick- and you put it between your teeth, the corner of your mouth curved upwards.

At that, Papyrus finally sobered up.

               “what…? where did you get- is that mine? did you pick that up from the ground? just to gloat?”

You deadpanned.

               “All this, and that’s what you ask?” You respond, flatly. Papyrus raised an eyebrow.

               “hey, hygiene is important y’know.” You rolled your eyes. Without warning, Papyrus reaches his hand out to your face- and you briefly wonder what he’s doing-

Before he nabs the cig right out of your mouth, and takes a long, long drag from it- leaving you flustered.

               “What- hey! What are you doing, you hypocrite?” You stutter, startled by Papyrus’ bravado.

He breathes out slowly, clearly enjoying the feeling. Emboldened by your embarrassment, he winked at you.

               “just taking back what’s mine.” You rolled your eyes once more, choosing to cross your arms in a show of indignation. Papyrus just chuckled at you.

               “so, how does this power of yours work?”

You dropped your irritated façade, resting your cheek on your hand in thought, humming,

               “I think I supply, or take away energy from things to make them different things.” Papyrus rolled his eyes.

               “explained like a parent to their six year old child.”

You blew a raspberry at Papyrus, who just shot you an unamused glance.

               “By taking or adding energy to the molecules in the objects I want to change, I am altering their state of matter. That explains why I can make fire out of thin air, but I can’t just make gold out of water. All I’m doing is making the molecules vibrate so intensely that fire is created.” You stopped to gather your thoughts, as Papyrus surveys your expression.

               “That’s how I made the chair, too. I just expanded energy to shift the atoms within the stump around, and I assume that’s how I made that hole in your house before, too.” You mutter that last bit quietly, and Papyrus scoffs at you.

               “hole is an understatement. there’s more space than there is wall in our kitchen now because of you.”

You chuckle sheepishly.

               “I know, I know- I’m sorry. I overreacted- I was confused and disoriented. I’ll fix it when I get home.” Papyrus grunted his approval, then sat back- in deep thought as well.

               “that makes sense then…” he mumbled under his breath. You shoot him a questioning glance.

               “oh. right, you don’t remember. basically, my brother got charred by electricity just now- and it wouldn’t come off for a bit until you did something to him- then you blew it off his skull like it was dust. figured something was off about that, just couldn’t tell what.” he explained, and you let his deep voice drown in your mind.

He looked down at you, eyes half lidded.

               “do you remember anything? about before, when you first fell down here? or maybe even how you got that ability? humans don’t typically have magic anymore.” His eyes bore into you, and you feel like shrinking away.

               “No, I can’t remember, I’m so- wait.” You suddenly picture a bridge, a burning one. Papyrus senses your change in demeanour, and he hums a question.

               “I remember a bridge. I remember falling, twisting my ankle, and I remember…” Your breath hitched.

               “I remember you catching me.”

Papyrus chuckled nervously.

               “heh, yea. you’re an idiot, y’know? had me and sans worried.” He turns to look away from you, such that you can’t see his expression.

There’s a weird tension in the air that you can’t explain, and you bite the inside of your cheek.

The forest clearing is silent around the both of you, so much so that you could probably hear a pin drop. Papyrus shuffled slightly- ruffling the fabric of his jacket as he cleared his throat awkwardly. You had to dispel this weird awkwardness.

               “Take me to it.” Papyrus turns around at your voice, confused.

               “huh?”

               “Take me to the bridge. I want to fix it.” You proclaim.

Papyrus blinks distractedly for a moment, before he processes what you said.

               “oh. uh, sure.” He stands up, dusting himself off- before he holds a hand out to you- his eyes drilling into yours.

               “hold onto me.” His neutral expression dissolved into a grin. You frown briefly, perplexed.

               “Why?” Your question comes out harsher than you would have liked it to be, but Papyrus just snickers.

               “do you trust me?” He asks you, a smirk tugging at his lips. You raise an eyebrow at him.

               “No?” It was a statement- but it came off as a question. You take his hand anyway, and he simpers at you, a playful grin etched into his features.

He pulls you up to him from the bench ruggedly, and you bump into his chest harshly, hands gripping his sides. Before you could protest, you feel something changing- it felt like the earth falling- accelerating.

               “good.”

You were pulled from your standing position as gravity suddenly increased on you tenfold- and it took you all your strength to latch on to Papyrus. Your fingers gripped his hoodie tightly, and you pressed yourself against him, you heart in your throat- and your stomach… probably also in your throat.

And with the snap of a finger, the feeling was gone.

Your knees immediately buckled, and your muscles relaxed. Or disappeared. You let go of your death grip on Papyrus, and you collapsed.

Immediately, Papyrus’ hands were firmly around your waist and on your lower back, catching you in the middle of your fall. He hunched over you, chuckling.

               “whoa, hey- careful there. heh, I know I’m hot, but I’ve never seen someone fall for me so violently.” He winked slyly at you, and you immediately wrinkled your nose at him, pushing him away falling into the snow beneath you.

Groaning, you pick yourself up and swipe off the snow from your uniform.

               “Ugh, you think you’re so charming, don’t you?” You scowl at him. He doesn’t respond, just regards you with that shit-eating grin.

               “Remind me never to trust you again. Anyway, what the hell was that?”

Papyrus just shrugs dismissively.

               “if I tell you, I’d have to kill you.” He says, with a straight face. You gawk at him.

               “Hardy-har-har, you’re so mature, you overgrown root.” He winces audibly.

               “ouch, downgraded from a carrot? why so harsh, woman?”

You just ignore him, fixing your eyes on the ruined bridge before you, and you sucked in a breath. It wasn’t that large a bridge, but you figure it’d still take a lot of effort to build- and given that most of the bridge lay tattered at the bottom of the ravine, your best bet would probably be to extend the rock face from the end you were on, all the way to the other side.

A cough interrupts your thinking, and you turn to glare pointedly at Papyrus, who is leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, regarding you with a roguish grin.

               “what’s the plan?”

He says it in a mocking manner- and you don’t really appreciate that. So, you just scoff haughtily at him.

You build up the heat in your hands like you did previously, feeling the warmth swirl around your body and pool into your palms. You place them flat on the snow, and close your eyes in concentration- picturing the molecules in your head. Picturing the energy flow through you. Papyrus senses the shift in the environment- and, concerned, he pushes off the tree.

               “wait you’re doing this n-“

The ground beneath Papyrus shuddered, groaned, and started buckling violently. He seethed a string of curses under his breath as he tried to maintain balance- in stark contrast to your zen-like state of concentration.

Rocks began tumbling into the ravine, and a long protrusion began to grow from the side of the cliff face. It extended like an arm towards the other end, and you feel beads of sweat start forming.

Boy, was this tiring. Why did you even want to do this in the first place?

The ground beneath you shifted and started tipping slowly, but you expected that. You needed material to build the bridge, after all- it makes sense that this part of the cliff would decline slightly.

You begin panting heavily, as you felt a connection begin to form between the two ledges. Your lungs were burning and you strained- hard- but all you had to do now was fortify the bridge- and you would be…

Done.

You opened your eyes, still breathing deeply. Exhausted, you turn around to Papyrus- just in time to see him stumble right into you.

Papyrus grunted at the contact as he fell onto you awkwardly, and you winced- too spent to defend yourself. He propped himself up with his hands, in push-up position above you, still slightly dazed.

               “fuck, you could’ve warned me before-“

His breath hitched, and his soul all but leaped out of his throat. A blush assaulted his face, and he felt the pit of his stomach lurch at the unexpected sight that lay beneath him-

You, hair sprawled out messily, arms above your head- flustered, panting, eyes half lidded. Your mouth was slightly parted, and you breathed small puffs of mist each time you exhaled- your cheeks were flushed and-

               oh, _stars_

Papyrus tore his eyes away from you to hide his deepening blush. He’s absolutely sure you hadn’t meant it but that was so _fucking_ erotic-

               “f-fuck- sorry. let’s get you home to rest, you look bone-tired.” His hand was on his face, and he chuckled weakly at you.

You turned away in embarrassment, and intoned out a meek agreement. What the _fuck_ was that?

You sit up, still facing away from him- trying to sort out what you were feeling. What was that? God- you were mortified. You’re pretty sure this was a cliché that never happened, ever. Fuck, why didn’t you push him off?

While you were berating yourself, you hear him clear his throat awkwardly- and you whip your head around a bit too enthusiastically.

His face was dusted with a light orange, and he refused to make eye contact with you, until he addressed you directly. You could practically feel the overthinking oozing from him.

               “can you stand?” he muttered, his voice hoarse. You shake your head weakly- you knew that if you could, you’d walk right off that ledge.

               “heh, of course.”

Papyrus stood up to his full height, and he scooped his hand under your arm. You thought he was going to help you up, but he slid his other hand under your knees and picked you right up off the snow like you were nothing- and you ascended with a yelp.

Your mind was racing and your heart beat fast. What was this? Just an after-effect of that closeness/mildly erotic display? What was he to you, to get you so flustered? Was this just infatuation? After a single day of knowing him? No way.

               “hang on.” Papyrus breathed.

His mind was racing- why did he get so flustered and riled up at seeing you like that? He’s only known you for a good two days- if anything it must have just been embarrassment.

As the two of you felt the world falling around you, you both reached the same conclusion.

 

_We’re just friends._

_Nothing more, nothing less._

 

You felt the pull of gravity manifest itself as an overwhelming force down against you.

 

_Don't get too attached._

 

And suddenly, you were both home.

 

 


	12. Wherein revenge flicks aren't just in flicks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a weird nightmare, and when you wake up, you take a bath and flick a skeleton on the forehead.
> 
> Also, what are soul links? Or, souls?
> 
> Trigger warning: mild gore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Quick little slice of life thing before I go back to burying my face in textbooks. Exams are in three days, and that's way too close for comfort but here I am anyway.  
> That's how much I love you guys. 
> 
> Do leave a comment/critique about this lil ol' fic, I'll gladly respond!  
> Thank you to everyone who's left a kudos or comment thus far, I can't wait to finally get back in the groove of writing these- it's been far too long since I wrote a chapter I was really happy with. Bear with me, yall! I'm sorry, it'll get better soon, trust me ;) This is just the calm before the storm.
> 
> I love yall <3

_You were alone. The nothingness ballooned around you, simultaneously resting on you as a heavy weight, and being as light as a feather._

_At once, you were both floating, and sinking- soaring, and falling._

_A hand materialised a ways away and reached out towards you, a rosy peach colour tinting its flesh- a matted, lifeless grey ring coiled itself tightly around the outstretched digits._

_“Remember me?”_

_The voice was light, feathery. Heavenly. Like bells, tinkling within a vacuum- at once blaringly loud and at the same time not there at all, like it was only present in your head. Your ears didn’t vibrate or react to the phrase- but you felt that this was all too familiar a feeling._

_You blink, and for a split second, you see the hand turn bony. It phased into a skeletal hand?_

_Wait, what changed into a skeletal hand?_

_“Remember me!”_

_You reach out your arms, beckoning for the hands to reach you. You want to touch them. Feel the bones clicking between your fingers, remember what they are._

_As the disembodied hands edge closer to you, you notice they’re clothed in light cyan gloves. How hadn’t you noticed them before? Closer still, and you notice a blue scarf coiled tightly around the blurry figure you can’t place. But the moment you look back at the hands, they’re skeletal once more._

_It takes you a while to notice that your eyes are burning with the lack of moisture, and you scrunch them up, feeling the figure cup your hands gently in front of you-_

_**“Remember me.”**_

_A booming, commanding tone._

_You open your eyes._

_An overbearingly tall skeleton, whose expanse stretched out to the void and beyond- yet stood compounded in the space in front of you, bore its lightless eyes into yours._

_Its smile was ever-present, carved gruesomely across its face- and a vicious crack tore its way down an eye socket, mimicked inversely by another that chiselled its way up the other eye socket, and to the back of its skull._

_A strange mixture of guttural fear and… something else, assaulted your throat right as the monster tightened its grip of your hands- and in your fear, you didn’t realise the way the cold handle of a knife so unwelcomely stuck itself between your hands._

_In a flash, his hands forced yours towards your own neck- and the revolting feeling of sliding a knife deep into flesh paled in comparison to the warm blood that spurted in bursts over your hands. Adrenaline wrought its fury through your veins, and you thrashed against the bonds that you just realised coiled its way around your being._

_You gurgled into the knife, furiously attempting to pull it out- to do something- and tears beaded in your eyes. Your heart beat like a caged wild animal, and your lungs burned desperately for air._

_Your vision started darkening, a familiar vignette creeping its way around your vision. Strangely, as you drifted off into unconsciousness, you felt nothing._

_His voice, once smooth and low- turned hoarse and raspy: urgent. He snarled._

_**“R̠͙̪̫̠͍̰̙͉̙̲̜͘̕͘̕E͜҉̶̩͈̙͔̺͚͙̞̠̠̖͡M̧̡͞҉̰͎̪̮̳̻͇̖̺͚Ḛ̵̳̗̼̪̝̤͔̣̼̦̜̗͇̲͓͘M̴̵͎̣̦̘͍̺̠̟͘̕͞B̸̨̛̹̪͕̟̗̱̮̹̭̹͎E̪͉̫͈͉̺̳̘̝͡ͅR҉̞̠̲̪̺̥̼̙̬̺̩̟͎̠͈̘͘͟ ̷̸͍̪͉̜͔̲̥͇̕M̡̡̙̣͓͇̯̖̭̦E̴̳̹̯͈̝̣̞͇̪͘͘͡**_

 

You shot out of bed in a cold sweat, clutching your throat once more. You breathed in large gulps of air, trying to soothe your burning lungs. Your hands fumbled around your throat, feeling the soreness desperately.

It was cold, but intact.

Your breathing slowed, your clothes were drenched in your sweat.

Gathering yourself, sliding your legs off the couch you were previously laying on, you reckoned it was about time for a bath. Perhaps you could borrow a shirt from Sans-

_As the disembodied hands edge closer to you, you notice they’re clothed in light cyan gloves._

You gasp.

               _Sans._

You tossed the messy blanket off of your body, and all but jumped out of bed.

_Was he okay? What happened to him?_

… He was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

Why were you worried again? You calm yourself down.

It was just a nightmare.

               “GOOD MORNING, HUMAN!”

Sans’ high pitched voice vaguely tickles a spot in your brain, like there was something you were forgetting- but you smiled warmly regardless.

               “Hello, Sans.”

Your eyes drift down to the chef’s hat and apron he donned. You frowned.

               “Why are you wearing that hat? You don’t have any hair to hold back.”

Sans grins widely, a light blue tint on his cheek bones from what you assumed was just overall enthusiasm and love of life. You couldn’t help the warm, protective feeling that surged in your chest.

               “WHY, IT IS SIMPLY TO GET INTO CHARACTER! IT IS MUCH MORE FUN THIS WAY.” He cheerfully stirred the bowl of mixed greens he was clutching.

               “BESIDES, IT CAME WITH THE APRON. MIGHT AS WELL MAKE USE OF IT!”

You chuckle lightly, and Sans beams wider.

               “OH, HUMAN. WOULD YOU CALL PAPY UP? WHEN I CAME HOME FROM TRAINING YESTERDAY, I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THE TWO OF YOU HAD ALREADY KNOCKED OUT- SO I DIDN’T BOTHER WAKING YOU FOR DINNER.”

You felt your stomach grumble indignantly, as if purely to prove Sans’ point. You nod, and head up the stairs to knock on Papyrus’ door.

Things yesterday had been… awkward, to say the least. You hummed to yourself, biting your lip. It was rare to see Papyrus so flustered like that- you silently hoped that your relationship with him wouldn’t change.

You quelled a weird feeling in your chest. Your hands reached forward with the intent to rap on the wooden door- but found that you couldn’t bring yourself to. Your heart was in your chest. It irked you.

               _Why should I even ca-_

The door opened with a creak, and you looked up to see Papyrus smirking down at you.

               “could feel you overthinking from inside the door. what’re you just standing around here for?”

He hunched forward, leaning on the doorframe with his hands in his pockets, in an aggravatingly relaxed position.

All at once, you feel your previous tension melt away. Ugh- you’d really like to wipe that stupid grin off his face.

               “I just thought you were asleep, and I wanted to gauge how best to wake you.”

He regarded you with an amused expression, a single hand leaving his pockets to flick you in the forehead, lazily.

               “think? you? nah, that sounded hollow to me.” he drawled, winking at you.

You felt your face burning, but before you could come up with a comeback, he was already walking down the stairs.

Damn him and his stupid long legs.

When Papyrus entered the kitchen, he let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. Thank god, he had managed to diffuse the awkward atmosphere that you and him and left off on. He shot you a sideways glance as you walked in, pointedly ignoring him.

               “GOOD MORNING, PAPY! HOW WAS TRAINING YESTERDAY?”

Papyrus shrugged nonchalantly, spooning honey into his morning tea. Thank god Sans wasn’t there yesterday- he’s not sure he would have been able to explain the reaction he’d had to seeing you like… that. He lifted the mug up to his teeth, taking in the sweet fragrance of honey and black tea.

               “WHICH REMINDS ME, WHAT WAS THAT SPIKE OF EMOTION I FELT IN THE SOUL LINK YESTERDAY EVENING?”

Stunned, papyrus spluttered, nearly spitting his tea in the process. Beside him, you tensed up, shifting uncomfortably.

               “eh, human fell over and I got worried. nothin’ much.”

He shakily set the mug back down on the countertop with a light tap. Well, technically, he wasn’t lying. At this, however, Sans lit up, smiling deviously.

               “AH, I SEE! CAREFUL HUMAN, YOU TEND TO DO THAT.” You looked up at him, the new term bearing into your ears. Soul link? Amidst your confusion, however, Papyrus could tell that you were more visibly relaxed. In turn, he allowed his shoulders to slump slightly.

He cleared his throat, interrupting your conversation with Sans about the soul links, before Sans could even start explaining.

               “so, uh. what’s on the agenda today, bro?”

Sans interrupted his explanation of soul links to give his brother a thoughtful hum, much to your annoyance.

               “WELL, TODAY, I HAVE TRAINING WITH THE H-“ Sans appeared to correct himself midway through the sentence.

“ALPHYS. YES. WITH ALPHYS.” Papyrus squinted suspiciously at his brother.

“weren’t you and the human supposed to-“

“GO TO THE LIBRARY! YES, BUT SINCE YOU’RE ARGUABLY BETTER VERSED IN THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE AND MONSTER MAGIC THAN I AM, YOU SHOULD GO IN MY STEAD!” Sans supplied enthusiastically.

Papyrus deadpanned at his brother. What was he doing?

               “okay…? sure, I guess.” Papyrus muttered, hesitantly. It’s not as if he minded too much, really. In fact, he’s pretty certain that he wouldn’t mind getting to know more about you, he figured that you must have been a relatively interesting person before all this.

               _wait_

He immediately quelled the thoughts- he can’t think like that. He shouldn’t. Lest everything reset and ~~he loses you (he doesn’t have you)~~ ~~misses you(he doesn’t like you)~~ never sees you again.

You notice Papyrus stewing beside you, brow bones knitted together, concentrated- deep in thought. You felt the odd compulsion to break his trance, to distract him from whatever thoughts were bothering him.

               ~~What a shame. You liked that contemplative look on his face.~~

               “Hey. Whatever the plan is, do you think I could get a bath before we go?” You directed your question at Sans.

               “OH MY GOODNESS, OF COURSE! YOU COULD’VE ASKED SOONER! I’LL GET YOU A CHANGE OF CLOTHES AND A SPARE TOWEL, GIVE ME ONE SECOND!” And with that, Sans scampered out the kitchen, leaving you and an oddly quiet Papyrus.

You hummed, before turning to him, propping yourself up on the base of the stool to reach eye level with him.

He cocked his head towards you, regarding you with a quirked eyebrow- curious as to what you were doing, before you just-

               - _Thwack-_

Papyrus startled backwards, slightly stunned. Did you just… flick his forehead..?

You fell back into your stool, with a smug expression smeared across your face- satisfied with your revenge.

               “Stop thinking so hard. I could just about hear it echoing from that empty skull of yours.”

And with that, you helped yourself off the barstool, and waltzed out the kitchen. Papyrus couldn’t help cracking a small smile under his breath.

               “that little minx.”


	13. Wherein you read too much into it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An uneventful library session...
> 
> Or so you wish it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Exams are over, which means I can go back into writing this in full force so look forward to that!  
> Unfortunately, my keyboard has been acting up- and my s and ' keys are a little wonky, so aaaaaa.  
> Also, I actually had to look translate a Chinese vocab word that I forgot the english meaning of to write this chapter. This is unprecedented, english is my main language- and i suck at chinese, lmao. 
> 
> Anyway, author's shenanigans aside, hope you enjoy this little relationship building chapter. Another one, and things might heat up soon ;)  
> AAaa im so excited, thank you so much for reading, and for your support in the comments and the kudos'! They really drive me to write. I love you all <3

You flipped carelessly at the worn pages of the book you were neck deep in, restless- your thumb hooked neatly on your bottom lip.

               _“While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water._

_Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us._

_But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic._

_They’ll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card...”_

Inwardly, you scowled, glancing over at your taller companion, who was hunched over, cross legged, an elbow resting on his covered knee and a chin snugly on a loosely closed fist. You glance down at the book he’s reading,

               _Quantum mechanics and path integrals_

And then you glance back down at the one you’re reading.

_Monster kid report 2_

The 2 was a lopsided ‘S’, and you groaned. Papyrus noted you stewing, cocking a brow bone up at you amusedly.

               “and what’s got you so worked up?” he drawled, his eyes darting back to his textbook.

You huffed.

               “You cut me off just now.”

               “hmm?”

You rolled your eyes.

               “Just now, with the soul link thing. I didn’t hear Sans’ explanation- and you’ve got me here reading some kid’s report on souls, while you’re reading some fancy Richard Feynman text. Didn’t you intend for me to help some Dr Undyne with breaking some barrier or something? Are you going to explain the soul link to me?”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

               “told you to read those books cause you know next to nothing about monsters, so just keep reading shorty. if you don’t even know what the barrier is, how’d you think you’d be able to help her the way you are now?” His eyes shifted to you- and he yawned.

               “besides,” he started,

               “doubt you’d be able to understand half the stuff in here.”

A small smirk tugged at his face at your riled expression. You did not liked to be challenged.

Furrowing your brows, you set the book in your hands aside, scooting over the floor, next to where Papyrus was sitting. You kneeled by him- eyes scanning the page he was on- and you scoff, the mathematical equations staring back up at you.

               “It’s just Feynman’s path integral, what’s there to not understand? Didn’t think a lazy skeleton like yourself would even be interested in physics.” You glance up at him, and he playfully nudges you away for that remark.

His eyes glazed over, so slightly that you almost missed it.

               “well, when you’re stuck down here so long, you’ll try anything to get out.” he uttered, a hint of spite in his voice. You bit your lip- but as soon as the moment was there, it was gone.

               “but hey, should I be offended? I used to work with Dr Undyne, y’know.” There was a dry sort of mischief in his voice.

“Alright, Mr Smarty mcSmarterson, if you’re so sciency then tell me what soul links are.” You mocked him, making yourself comfortable beside him.

Papyrus stiffened slightly- he wasn’t sure how much of souls he should tell you. If you found out the colour of your soul and it was determined… He wasn’t too sure how you would react with the power to reet.

Just soul links then, no soul bonds or soul magic or whatever.

               “well, soul links are just connections between two monsters, sort of like a phone- but more primitive. think two cups connected with string. you sorta get the picture of what the monster you’re linked to is feeling, but you don’t know any much else.”

He looks down at you to see you cracking your back, the stiffness of leaning against a wall clearly taking its toll. You slumped slightly, and gave him a deadpan look.

               “Is that all?”

Papyrus’ glance shifted back to his text.

               “yeah.” You squinted at him, shifting in your position once more.

               “Then why didn’t you just tell me sooner?”

Papyrus shrugged nonchalantly.

               “why would you need to know about it anyway? you’re a human.”

You head tilts, curiously- and Papyrus whacks himself inwardly for noticing.

               “So, humans can’t form soul links?” He shook his head.

               “well, soul links are typically a sibling thing, and they’re also magic- so… yeah. barring how a monster would even be able to have a human sibling...” He paused slightly, in thought.

               _there was one exception but…_

Papyrus glanced at you. You didn’t need to know about that. You hummed.

               “Cool! So, that’s all I wanted to know. Do you guys archive any lab reports that I can read to get caught up with what you’ve done?” You stood up, and he tilts his head to a corner of the library, in which a small, translucent box held a few stacks of paper.

You walk over to the box, gently picking it up.

               “if you got any questions, just shoot.” You nodded.

As the hours ticked by, you found yourself sinking lower and lower to the ground, in favour of your back, and somehow- you ended up leaning against Papyrus’ shoulder- to which he carefully shifted to accommodate.

Soon, three quarters of the stack was gone- and you’re sure you’ve spent over five hours skimming through dry lab reports, getting a handle on this soul/barrier business. Your sighs got more frequent by the hour.

Exaggeratedly, you slapped lab report #64 over your face with a disgruntled groan. You curled into yourself, and by extension, the skeleton you were leaning on- and you draw in a heavy breath.

A smell that, by now you’d gotten used to, trickled into your nose. It was faint, but there nonetheless.

Something sweet, like honey; and an astringent, acrid tobacco smell that, all things aside, smelt kind of comforting.

You breathed out- catching a hint of pine, and you felt your chest relax. Leaning into the soft jacket like this could really lull you to sleep. Your breathing slowed, and you allowed your arm to rest across your forehead, using the report to shield your eyes from the harsh light of the library.

You were so very close to drifting off, but a scoff brought you out of your reverie. You peeked a dry, tired eye at Papyrus, to see him regarding you with heavy amusement.

               “who’s the one who’s always calling me lazy? how the tables have turned.” Papyrus drags, and you don’t even need to have your eyes open to know he’s smirking that stupid smug face of his.

               “How about you turn so I can shove these boring reports up yours.” You groan dramatically, and he snickers.

               “m’surprised you haven’ asked me more questions. what did you even study up there, anyway?”

You hum thoughtfully, pulling the papers away from your face to address Papyrus.

               “Mostly chemistry, I think. But I guess I do physics too? I’m…” Your eyes glazed over, and you thumbed at your ring. You turned, to lay over on your side- and Papyrus accommodated, shifting slightly to allow your neck to relax.

               “I can’t remember… Sorry. I guess I’d be able to help more if I could.”

Papyrus glanced down at you noncommittally, appreciatively humming at the way your hair unravelled in gentle curls, the way your expression seemed to be caught in time- brows furrowed and lips pursed in a display of melancholy.

If your expression wasn’t enough, your fiddling with the ring definitely startled Papyrus back to reality.

A pang of guilt rang through his soul. He shouldn’t be doing this. He shouldn’t be letting you lie on his lap like this, he shouldn’t be getting so friendly with you. He shouldn’t be enjoying his time with you-

Abruptly, Papyrus moved away from under you standing to his full height above you- while you knocked your head into the floorboards.

               “Hey what was that for?” You grouched, rubbing at your head absently.

               “I was just taking a short break, you…” Papyrus’ expression had you biting back whatever snide remark had threatened to spill from your lips.

Impassive, calculated- distant. He looked away.

               “if you’re tired, then we should go back. my bro’s probably expecting us by now.” His raspy voice had an underlying tone of hurt, and you weren’t entirely sure why.

               “Okay..? Papyrus, are you feeling alright?”

Hearing his name from your lips seemed to jar him enough to look you in the eye. He grumbled.

               “m’fine. just peachy.”

He put his book back into the shelf, and if he weren’t in such a foul mood, perhaps you might have commented on how un-Papyrus like he was being by having civic responsibility, or something like that. But you didn’t.

Papyrus’ large strides were slightly hard to keep up with, and you noted how he didn’t bother slowing down for you while leading you back to the house. The walk there was wrought with tension, and you don’t know why.

Why are you even fixating on this? This shouldn’t even be mattering- you should just help with the barrier, and get out to your own life above the surface. What was life even like up there?

Whatever- it didn’t matter- Papyrus, and his approval, didn’t matter: you told yourself.

Then why?

 

Why was your chest constricting at the thought of losing your friendship with him to this weird, tense atmosphere? Why were you scared of asking him if anything was wrong, in fear that it would be your fault? Why did your heart pump harder when he slammed the door to his room behind him, without even bothering to look at you, or talk to you throughout the entire trip home?

Your thoughts flow back to the library, and when you drank in his smell, when you sunk into his jacket- and you feel your face flush.

Fuck, when had you gotten wind of these feelings?

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                 


	14. Wherein it's raining somewhere else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sleepless night leads to the discovery that Papyrus, of all people, has a musical flair.
> 
> Apparently, you do too. Along with a barely unleashed arsenal of bad music puns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for all the comments, kudos' and hits- it's been thrilling to read comments and learn that people appreciate this work. I will always keep striving to improve my quality of writing so that YOU can have more trashy fanfiction. <3 
> 
> Hence, do leave a comment telling me how to improve, or if you spot any errors/wonky phrasing. I typically pen these at 4 am in the morning, and I publish them once they're done because tbh I'm far too jaded to grammar check, so aaaa yes.
> 
> Thank you! I love you <3
> 
> Recommended songs: It's raining somewhere else; Piano duet "undertale"

_A chilling voice._

_“I’m everywhere.”_

_A darkness blacker than black._

_“Remember me.”_

_And now, a pair of hands, smooth as silk._

_**“I’m coming.”**_

You shoot up once more from under your comforters- not realising you’re clutching at the fabric of the brothers’ sofa with a death grip. You’re sweating, confused: but most of all, frustrated. You palm at your chest, forcing yourself to calm down- to collect yourself.

What’s with all these dreams you’ve been having? You hate not knowing; not knowing what the nightmares are, why you’re confused, why you’re down here-

You throw the blanket aside aggressively, heart thumping in your chest.

               _You hate not knowing._

The day’s events reel through your mind again- and the frustration of being so damned _helpless_ strikes through your heart mercilessly.

You know Papyrus was hiding something from you; he wasn’t talking. Speaking with Sans when he came back from training just warranted a sympathetic smile, a hug, an a cryptic message.

“It’s Okay, Human. My Brother Has… Complex Feelings. He’s Sad A Lot Of The Time, And Tired The Rest. Just Give It Some Time.”, Sans had said; after you’d confided in him of the day’s events.

But why? Give what time? Didn’t you somehow piss him off, or something?  With the way he stared at you… You what you did: you just don’t know.

You don’t know about your history-   
The surface-   
Monsters-   
Souls-   
Papyrus-   
You.   
  
You clutch your head in your hands. It’s stressful- so stressful, you don’t know your purpose- you feel like you don’t know anything. You’re clueless in this vast world- you’re haunted in the sanctuary that is sleep; you-

 

Hear a piano.

 

The notes immediately placate you.

They caress your mind in the midst of your merciless onslaught of thoughts and grievances.

Your sudden mental breakdown felt foolish by the second phrase of the music that waded through the house.

For a moment, you just sat- head in your hands;

Listening to the calming, muted chords that apprehensively- tentatively pirouetted from upstairs. They was warm- yet timid, shaky: scared- yet, brave, if only because they toiled on laboriously. It was emotional, raw- yet refined.

A crashing wave of melancholy washed over you, as if you had anything to be melancholic about. You stop;

Déjà vu?

Letting your body wander rather than your mind this time- you impassively follow the sound of music.

With your eyes hooded by your eyelids, you blearily make your way through the dark, carefully ascending the stairs- and you found yourself standing in front of a very familiar, slightly ajar door. The music was definitely coming from within; it got louder, more soulful as you approached.

Once again, you let the music carry you through your thoughts; the melody…

It fills you with… something. Something that won’t let you just sit and mope; something that drives you to find all the answers, no matter how you feel- no matter what comes against you.

You rap on the door with your newfound confidence- and the beautiful playing stops. You push open the door, to see a tired Papyrus with a rather stiff expression on his face. His hands, smooth- like silk- are cautiously mid-caress with the bleached white keys of an old piano.

You feel your heart dance to its own tremolo within your chest. You could ask him anything right now, he can’t go anywhere- can’t avoid you. You could ask him what he’s hiding from you regarding souls, what you were like when you first met- what he thought you were doing in the underground, what he’s hiding in general; what you did to offend him, ~~how he felt about you,~~ but instead,

“Where’d you keep the piano?”

You cringe inwardly, feeling your chest tense. That was a stupid question, a stupid, stupid-!

Papyrus’ fingers relax in their tense position, and he slackens his shoulders. He thinks you don’t notice his micro expressions but right now, you’re more aware of them than anything in the room.

To your relief, Papyrus shrugs, and winks at you.

               “same place I keep my trombone.”

You flinch. For whatever reason, you weren’t exactly ready to hear the slight rasp of the voice you were so loved to hate, and right now, so loved to-

               “You… You have a trombone?”

He smirks- the way he does when you know he’s about to make a shit-eating pun.

               “in case you didn’t notice, I’m a skeleton- we’re pretty much made of trom _bones_.”

You scoff.

               “That joke fell a little _flat_ , even for you.”

His eyes are twinkling now, mirth dancing in them. You hum- you like it when his smile reaches his eyes.

               “well, I don’t think I like your _tone_ of voice.” He drawled.

               “Sorry- I didn’t plan on it being so _sharp_.” You shot back; and he scoffed, still smirking.

               “really? sharp and flat? unoriginal- music puns aren’t really your _forte_ ”

At this point, you were giggling, clutching your stomach- and Papyrus looked relaxed. That was a good sign. Tentatively, you let yourself in, closing the door behind you with a click.

His eyes trail you as you walk to his bedside, next to the piano. To your surprise, he makes the first attempt at speech.

               “can’t sleep? or did I wake ya?” His voice drops to a hoarse, low murmur, and you honestly can’t help the shiver that trails up your back- a glissando, if you will. You shrug in response to his question anyway.

               “No, you didn’t. I just got a few nightmares, is all.”

You look up to see deep recognition cross his eyes- and he barks out a short, acrid laugh.

               “heh, I know the feeling.” He looks you in the eye, as if beckoning you to continue that train of thought, but you shrug it off.

               “It’s just… I don’t know, stupid shit, I guess. I typically can’t remember the bulk of it, anyway.”

Even the snippets you did remember, you didn’t understand. You always felt… wrong, after you woke up, leaving a vile feeling in your stomach. They probably aren’t something you’re comfortable with voicing out now.

You look back up at him- and you realise he’s looking intently at you- as if he’s thinking hard about something, and you opened your mouth to ask him- but you are immediately shut up by the expression on his face.

His eyes are closed, his jaw is slack, but not open.

You hear a light, lucid note.

His hands start flowing over the keys, and he weaves along to the music. It’s a pretty little piece- thoughtful and musical.

You’re almost tempted to ask him where he learnt how to play- but you’re also extremely unwilling to break the flow of his music, so much so that you almost jump when his pleasantly raspy timber overlays on top of the notes.

               “it’s a lullaby.” He almost murmured, and you felt your heart skip a beat.

It’s a lullaby… for you to sleep? Is he playing you a lullaby?

_It’s… familiar._

Suddenly, notes are filling themselves in your head- what he will play next- the image of a score flashes briefly in your mind- then, Papyrus’ expression as he told you how much he sympathised with your inability to find sleep.

               _”heh, I know the feeling.”_  
  
And with that, your mind renews itself with new purpose. You’re going to play him the lullaby too.

You sit up from the bed, and catch Papyrus arching a brow in intrigue. Your steps are fluid, as you walk to the higher octave of the piano- and softly tap a key. Papyrus shifts over on the piano, and you look at him. He’s not making eye contact.

An invitation to play with him? You hold in a smirk. Guess skeletons can be curious too.

You sit next to him- trying to ignore the distracting heat radiating from him- and play.

As a duet- the lullaby feels fuller, richer- more hopeful. You surprise yourself with your technique- and how happy you feel, with the keys under your fingers and the music flowing through the room.

You catch Papyrus swaying with the music, losing himself- and soon, you find yourself drifting too.  


For a moment, only the two of you existed- the two of you and the music that you made.  


The song ended too soon, with Papyrus playing the last phrase. Slowly, quietly, fading away.

You both finish.

 

Papyrus looks down at you, and his brow bones scrunch up into a small frown.

               “hey, why’re you trembling?”

You look down at your hands, to realise that they’re shaking on the keys, the metal of your ring clacking lightly against the white keys.

               “I… I don’t… I guess I could use a hug or something.” You half joked, laughing awkwardly. You didn’t know what exactly had you trembling, but you knew you wanted comfort. Of any kind.

Drawing your hands back to your body as if touching the piano burned you, your eyes drifted to Papyrus’ expression, which left your stomach mixing with alarm.

He looked… conflicted. His eyes were hooded, and drawn pointedly away from you. His jaw was tight- he was gritting his teeth together. You felt your heart clench. You were back at square one- you had no idea what Papyrus was thinking- all you knew was that it was nothing flattering.

You looked down at your shoes.

What were you thinking..? That you even had a chance with him? He was a skeleton- one that obviously hated humans- you in particular. Was it past-you? Were you that different as people? Was it your very existence?

You felt a hand ruffle your hair- something you’d seen Papyrus do to Sans.

               “go to sleep, human.”

No nickname. You allowed your heart to fall, dragging your stomach, chest, and everything down with it. He was trying to brother you.

You bit the inside of your lip.

               “m’going out for a smoke.”

You catch his expression as he walked out the door, leaving you alone in his room. Dull, lifeless eyes looking nowhere in particular. A tight grimace.

You heard the main door open, and close again with a quiet click.

You took a fleeting glance at the piano, the melody still wafting through your head, as you trudged out of his room and back down to the couch, palming at your ring.

It’s only been a few days since you’d known him, get over it. This is nothing. You steeled yourself, banishing the repeating lullaby from your mind. You weren’t weak- this was just a stupid infatuation. You hid under the blankets, and dared the buzzing silence to take over your mind.

Sleep never overcame you until morning, so you know that Papyrus didn’t come back that night.


	15. Wherein his hands are smooth *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For once, your dreams are pleasant.  
> Too pleasant.
> 
> *Light smut warning  
> *Dubious creep warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it's been awhile, I had an allergic reaction and was hospitalised for a bit. Everything hurts, but it stopped long enough for me to squeeze in this chapter for yall. ;)  
> I love you guys, your comments and kudos' give me life. <3

_It’s a dreamscape once more._

Darkness flashes turbulently, so does consciousness.

You’re phasing; flickering- faltering.

The tension in your body keeps you awake; you need to stay awake- to see Papyrus.

You hadn’t seen him in a week- is your relationship repairable? Were you just overthinking this? Overthinking him?

Papyrus.

Why did you have to go and ruin everything? What was that aching feeling the yanked at you- tugged at you to stay far away from him?

Papyrus.

You shifted in the couch.

Guilt? Worry… Lust..?

.

.

_Lust._

_You felt smooth hands run down your waist- a soft, cool fabric brushing gently against your arms and bare chest. You felt a sharp jolt of electricity shoot down your spine that knocked the breath clean out of you, as his jacket strings mercilessly dragged over your hard nipples._

_His touch sent your senses flaring. Your body was warm at his touch- as his hands trailed from your hips to your inner thighs- and you sucked in a breath._

_A breath._

_You heard his low, throaty chuckle- you felt his hot breath fanning out across your bare neck- but you find yourself too immersed in his hands to look up at him. You’re breathing hard- and your heart is throbbing: hard. You feel light headed with your arousal; and a warm pool flooded between your thighs, prompting you to squeeze your thighs together. It almost felt like…_

_Honey._

_You were warm, unbearably hot- yet you kept getting warmer. His touch, his magic; filled you with a golden comfort; and an unrestrained need. When his fingertips stroked at your core; you flared- thrashed, with abandon. You felt his lithe fingers mingling- playing with your honey._

_You wanted this._

_You breathed, heavily._

_You needed this._

_A wanton moan escaped your throat._

_Please, give me this._

_Papyrus…_

**_Papyrus-!_ **

You startled awake with a sharp gasp. Sharper than any you’d had before.

You pressed an urgent hand over your heart- and it pounded, heavy and fast- like a war drum. Your insides were warm, so warm- and you were-

Wet.

So wet.

A profound shame crept its way onto your face in the form of a crimson blush- and all the heat that was previously in your loin rushed up to your face.

Oh god, what had that been? Had you just had a sex dream?

A week- it’d just been a week.

7 whole days of Papyrus avoiding you, casting you various degrees of hostile glares, and training/reading with his brother and his brother only.

A week and this is what he’d done to you?

You cursed, flinging yourself out of the couch- in favour of a nice, long bath. To… wash up.

Walking with long strides to the kitchen, you realised that Sans was not yet awake. You paused, unblinking.

Perhaps you’d get a head start on your physical training today- it’d be a good way to release some of the built up energy that had accumulated over the evening. You paused in thought: perhaps you’d tell Sans before you left, lest he worry about you.

A problem for a later time: you decide. Sighing haggardly, you step into the blessedly warm shower- tossing your clothes aside.

You turn the hot water on- humming contentedly when you feel the calming waters splash onto your skin. It flowed down your body soothingly- calming all the aches that had built up over the night- coaxing you into a relaxed, zen… state.

The water was so warm, so soothing…

Like… honey-

_No._

You admonished, harshly turning the knob to unleash the merciless torrent of cold water over your hair- down your face and over your chest. You shivered. The ice cold unwillingly brought with it the image of Papyrus towering over you- need in his eyes, his jacket strings lazily tugging-

               “No- agh! Nothing works!”

You cursed in frustration- slamming the faucet shut. You exhaled sharply.

Fine. If your mind was going to be like this, you would just head out now and get rid of this stupid pent-up energy. Sans wouldn’t mind, right? He knows you wouldn’t do any harm to him or any of the other nice villagers from Snowdin.

Haphazardly tossing on your shirt, you march straight out the door- making a beeline straight for the forest clearing where you’d first sparred with Papyrus; a little ways away from the training grounds you shared with Sans and Alphys.

.

.

Shards of hard ice shattered violently against a tall, dark spruce tree, crashing into hundreds of pieces- followed by short bursts of steam, and more ice shards.

You were crouched on the ground, with your hands to the snow- warm enough that the ice beneath your palms was beginning to melt.

Huffing, your mind was just about as far from Papyrus as it could have been; you’d discovered something great. Now, for a little trouble shooting- then…

Concentrating, you formed a crude wall of ice in front of you- from which vaguely conical shards of ice protruded. Then, with a short grunt, you vaporised the base of the cone- the rapidly expanding air all but shooting the shard of ice forward with a little burst of steam.

Grinning, you sat back in the snow, panting lightly. You had long since ditched your outerwear, in favour of a lighter outfit that you frequently wore during your trainings with Sans, and that you’d come to start wearing as an undershirt.

A simple, black tube top that served dually as a sports bra clung tightly to your chest, exposing your toned mid rift and bare arms and shoulders to the cold. Meanwhile, your long, camouflage pants and boots remained relatively untouched.

You’d decided on this outfit after a close and inexplicable brush with heatstroke in one of your prior trainings with Sans- having found that the more you used your ‘magic’, the faster your body would heat up.

_Which, explains your state of unease after fixing that bridge; and that embarrassing moment with P-_

You interrupted yourself with a shudder- your body tended to lose heat just as fast as it gained it, especially with the light sheen of sweat that clung to your body and your current state of rest. You shivered, reaching to grab your outerwear, only to meet the warm hand of another creature instead.

Startled, you look up- only to see…

               “Hey there, pretty lady.”

You squinted.

“You’re… Aaron?”

The mer-horse shot you a playful grin and a wink.

               “Bingo. Surprise you remembered my name, little lady.”

He extended a hand to pull you up- which you accepted.

               “How’d you find me here?” You asked cordially, as you dusted yourself off.

               “Well, I was out here for my weekly training-in-the-woods, and I heard an odd little commotion over here. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was you- dressed like that, in the cold, looking oh so angry.”

Aaron folded his arms together, handing you your coat.

You remained silent. The magic of seeing real life monsters had long since worn away from your first encounter with the man- and you weren’t usually the type to spill your troubles to any random passer-by.

But honestly… You were angry. You were also tired, confused. It wasn’t like you could talk about this to anyone else, like Sans. You doubted that he’d understand anyway.

In your reflection, your hand nervously found its way to your shiny, silver ring. You didn’t notice, but Aaron’s deep, chestnut eyes drifted down to your fidgety hands, observing you quietly.

               “Let me guess, you got boy troubles? Listen- I’d like to think that me and the boys could easily knock some sense into whoever’s stupid enough to hurt a precious little thing like you.”

He winked at you, then proceeded to (un?)ironically kiss his biceps, flexing them at you.

You blinked, not exactly knowing how to respond. Who kisses themselves like that? Also… Had it been that obvious that you were having love troubles?

Gauging your reaction to be a bad one, Aaron cleared his throat.

               “Of course, I’m only joking. But in all seriousness, little lady, I’d hear you out if you’d let me.”

You pause. Was this something the brothers would be okay with you telling other monsters? Your history, as a human? Falling from somewhere..? Maybe if you just avoided telling him those tiny details then…

               “… Okay. Thanks for caring enough to listen.” You smile- a small, appreciative smile, and he flashes you a charming grin.

               “No problem.” He grasps your hand and presses a gentle kiss on it- leaving you flustered, and your increased heart rate only served to remind you of everything you were craving- for what you wanted. He smirked.

               “Look like nothing’s changed.” He winks at you again, sitting down, and you yank your hand out of his with a playful scowl.

               “Shut up.”

.

.

It was another quiet day in the skeleton brother’s home and Papyrus’ eyes shot open once he’d heard his brother’s door creak open. He exhaled groggily, eyelids heavy. It must be nine in the morning, given that Sans typically never woke up a minute earlier or later.

All was fine as Papyrus’ ears picked up on his brother’s light footsteps down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Everything was as per usual- and Papyrus allowed sleep to slowly overcome him.

If nothing was wrong, then surely he could afford a few extra hours…

Another few hours until he’d have to start avoiding you again.

He had been for the past week he had tried to actively avoid seeing or talking to you so he could find out what he wanted to feel about you.

 

Last week, when you’d both played together- it had been a moment of weakness. He had no idea why he felt that he needed to comfort you- but he knew that you had felt some semblance of emotion for him. Some semblance of need for him- and right now, the most pertinent issue was to stop that bud of emotion from growing.

He could settle his feelings sometime else. For now… he could sleep in a while longer. You weren’t causing much trouble by training with Sans, so he could take it easy until…

               **_SLAM-!_**

               “PAPY!!!”

In an instant, Papyrus was out of bed; teleported into the living room; steadying himself from the abrupt blink-

Only to see a very distraught Sans tackle him into a hug.

               “bro, what’s wr-“

               “I LOST THE HUMAN!!!” Sans all but sobbed into his brother’s jacket.

Papyrus stood there, stunned.

               “what… what do you mean you lost the human?” Papyrus gently placed his hands on San’s shoulders, crouching down to meet his eye level.

               “I WOKE UP THIS MORNING TO FIND HER GONE! I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN FEELING UPSET THIS PAST WEEK, AND I DIDN’T WANT TO WAKE YOU SO I SET OUT TO FIND HER MYSELF, BUT…” 

               “but you couldn’t find her..?”

Papyrus’ brows furrowed slightly as he took in this new information. He knew his brother was perceptive towards his emotions but to this extent? Sans tackled him to the floor once more in a crushing hug.

And why did the human suddenly disappear?

               “I DON’T KNOW WHERE SHE COULD POSSIBLY HAVE GONE! IT’S BEEN HOURS, AND I’VE CHECKED EVERYWHERE, BROTHER! WHAT IF SHE’S LOST, OR… OR HURT? OR WORSE, DUSTED?”

Papyrus frowned at his brother’s sentiments- but he, too, tried desperately to wrestle the increasingly ballooning anxiety within his chest.

               “bro… why do you care so much?”

At this, Sans shot him a surprisingly sobering glare, as he wiped a blue tear from his eye.

               “BECAUSE I KNOW YOU CARE TOO, YOU JUST DON’T KNOW IT YET.”

He mumbled, and Papyrus felt an emotion strikingly similar to guilt shoot straight through his heart. His eyes narrowed at his brother-

               “sans…-“

               “PLEASE, PAPY! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME FIND HER, I’VE SEARCHED EVERYWHERE! PLEA-“

               “okay, okay- calm down-“

               “THANK YOU SO MUCH BROTHER!!! OH, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!”

And for the third time, Sans tackled the taller skeleton to the floor in a tight hug. Papyrus moved to protest, but eventually just sighed, hugging him and patting him comfortingly.

               “love you too bro. now wait here, okay? be right back.”

And with that, Papyrus disappeared into the only place he knew that his brother wouldn’t have checked: the woods.

.

.

“And that’s how I think I might have driven the guy away.” You finished. To Aaron’s credit, he’d sat patiently, listening to your entire, hour-long messy spiel about your feelings and how unrequited they were. He only hummed, as if deep in thought.

You almost felt embarrassed at how much of your stupidity you’d laid bare for him to see- jeez- he was just a stranger- you cursed the lack of self-control that led to your rambling.

               “So… This guy you’re talking about. He isn’t a husband, or a boyfriend or anything, is he?”

His statement startles you out of your self-loathing, and you bark out a short, acrid laugh.

               “No… Of course not. Weren’t you listening? If this were an official relationship… Well, there isn’t a whole lot of relation in it. Just a ton of avoiding. If anything, it’s an avoid-ship.”

You cringe.

               _My god woman what are you saying? You’re going to weird him out-_

Aaron visibly relaxed, and you blink a few times. That’s not the reaction you were expecting.

               “If you two aren’t really together, then what got you so worked up this morning?”

You blink. You were frustrated because… The dream, and… the sexual tension that came with it.

A burning blush rushed to your face once more- and you caught Aaron smirking- so you decided to redirect the question.

               “H-How did you know I was frustrate- angry, in the morning anyway? Hadn’t you just dropped by?” You averted your eyes from his, so you only caught a teasing chuckle in his low tenor.

               “Hey now, don’t hide things from me, little lady. What’s got you so worked up..? So… tense?” Aaron slid closer to you with a sly smirk on his face- as you stewed in the aftereffects of that dream.

Well clearly your efforts at relieving the sexual tension didn’t pay off- as you could feel it all gathering as heat in your loins- dripping down to your-

               “I had a dream, okay? Just… a normal, innocent dream…” You trailed off, as your heart started pounding harder. Aaron slid closer to you- why was he sliding closer to you?

               “H-hey, what’re you-“

               “I can smell you, you know?”

A tinge of fear ran up your spine- and an uneasy feeling settled into your stomach.

               “What…What?”

Aaron winked at you.

               “That guy you’re talking about… He sounds like a dick. Anyone who ignores something as beautiful, as sensual as you…” He trails off- a finger threading itself around a lock of your hair. He was so close to you: as close as _he_ was in your dream-

               “You, with that tight little top, out here, alone in the woods. Let me help you relieve your frustrations, little lady. I won’t do it if you don’t want me to, but…”

His voice drops a register, and almost becomes breathy- like you’d dreamt _his_ was.

               “But it seems like you really want me to.” He breathes into your ear- as his fingers trail down your hips the way you wanted _…_

The way you wanted Papyrus to.

..

But _he_ wasn’t here. And you were an adult, capable of doing whatever you wanted to do, or, _who_ ever you wanted to do. And right now, you wanted to forget.

Your hands grasp at Aaron’s strong shoulders, as his fingers roughly ground down onto your core- and you thrashed beneath his arms.

At this point, you were both breathing heavily- though you were in a much lower state of composure than he was.

His hands continued to explore your body- and you fought actively to remove the image of skeletal hands trailing your skin- of smooth fingertips expertly caressing your breasts-

 

               “what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

 

The strong, hardy hands that surrounded you immediately dropped from your sides- and you held in a whine- only for your eyes to meet the burning orange of another.

               “Pap…Papyrus? What are you doing here?” You stammer, but collect yourself. He narrows his eyes at you- one of them set in a raging flame.

               “i could ask the same of you. sans was looking everywhere for you.” He spat, his voice low and gravelly.

               “Hey there Pap, uh…” Aaron started.

Papyrus sighed harshly- pinching the bridge of his nose- effectively smothering the fire in his eye.

               “leave. now. if you’re still here when I open my eyes, there’ll be hell to pay from shyren’s manager.” He ground out, harshly.

Wait. What? What the fuck did Papyrus think he was doing? Who did he think he was?

Your breathing was still heavy from before- but you still find the strength to glare at Papyrus.

               “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” You growled, after Aaron had left, hastily.

He whipped his skull to yours- fury burning in his eyes.

               “funny. I was about to ask the same of you. in fact, I believe I did- only, you were too busy eating face with Shyren’s husband to respond to me.”

You let what he’d just said sink in.

..

Oh god.

Your face fell, and the pit in your stomach all but swallowed every single emotion you’d had other than guilt.

               “I was… It just… He was just being there for me.” you stammered out. For some reason, Papyrus’ expression changed. Was that… hurt?

He mumbled something under his breath. Your eyes narrowed.

               “What the fuck did you say?” Your tone came out more aggressive than you wanted it to be.

Papyrus shot you a scathing glare.

               “… i said that if you’d gone any further with him, you might have gotten hurt.”

Now, at that- anger flared strongly within you.

What the fuck was he saying? You were a grown woman, and you could take care of yourself. You didn’t need his constant surveillance, or his constant pitying- you could damn well take care of yourself.

Furthermore, where was this concern for the past week? When you were stewing about him? Worrying about your relationship with him? Losing sleep over him? Why now? When he was going to lose you to another guy? Why would he care anyway?

               “Papyrus, I’m a grown fucking woman and I can take care of myself. I can _fuck whoever the hell I want to_ , and you have no right to stop me.” You ground out between your teeth, fists clenching.

Papyrus stumbles, slightly taken aback.

               “Shouldn’t you be more worried about his wife than me? It isn’t like I _fucking matter_ to you anyway.” You spat venomously- allowing a tiny stream from your torrent of mixed emotions out.

His eyes flash down to your ring, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, and he seems to gather himself, though his words still held a certain strained anger to them.

               “why him?”

You narrowed your eyes at him.

               “Use your words.” You seethed, and he rolled his eyes.

               “why aaron? you’re not stupid. you should know how manipulative he is.”

You bite the inside of your lip, anger bubbling beneath the surface. Why was he acting like he cared now?

               “For your information, he was being a perfectly nice guy- and, once again, I can _fuck_ whoever I want to _fuck_.” You hissed.

               “even if he has a wife?” Papyrus spat- and you falter.

A quiet moment passes, with the tension hanging thick in the air. With the repercussions of what you would’ve done, hanging thick in the air. With your sins, hanging thick in the air. You crumple.

Seeing your shift in demeanour from angry to… whatever, Papyrus sighs- aggravated- reaching a hand from his jacket pocket to his face, fingertips massaging his temples, as he advances towards you.

               “did you really want to… need to screw him?”

               “I…”

_I wanted to use him to get over you._

You admitted to yourself, guiltily.

.

.

You steel yourself.

               “I didn’t know any better. I wouldn’t have changed anything.”

You said, evenly- and Papyrus exploded.

               “for fuck’s- he has a fucking wife! you can’t possibly have such _loose_ _fucking morals_ \- fuck, are all humans like this?”

               “Well, this is my fucking business- so why the fuck can’t I do what I want?”

Suddenly, the wind is knocked out of you- and you feel a tree against your back. Your adrenaline is rushing-

               “because I can’t.” He seethed.

Papyrus’ eyes bore into yours: and you see that one of his eyes is engulfed in a majestic, roaring flame. His hands are pinning yours above your head, and he’s hunched over such that his face is right in front of yours. Heat is emanating from his face, and time almost stops.

 

You could feel his breaths wafting over you, smelling like smoke and honey.

You could feel his body pressed against yours, hard and desperate.

You could feel his hands-

They were rough against yours.

His eyes were filled with want- half lidded and needy- but they were also filled with inner conflict. Papyrus growled lowly, his voice hoarse against your ears- sending a chill down your spine and straight into your core.

 

               “fuck it.”

 

Before you could register anything, Papyrus’ fingers tighten around your wrist, holding you in place firmly, and he grounds his body against yours, pushing against you hungrily, angrily.

The last you saw of those eyes were of lust- of desire- of want.

His takes your lips in a harsh kiss.

You feel a fire explode within your chest, an excited, buzzing feeling overwhelming your body. All your breath left your lungs unconsciously- and you pushed against him, confused-

But he pushed back even firmer- and deepened the kiss.

Your mind went blank- and your eyelids fluttered shut.

.

.

His hands are rough, not smooth.


	16. Wherein his hands are rough*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angry sex, and arguably angrier conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** Important: This chapter contains smut that is marked with the asterisk and page break. It is skippable, and does not contain anything that furthers the plot in any way other than character bonding. Those who have an aversion to smut can skip to the end of the chapter past the asterisks and page breaks. Enjoy, you filthy sinners ;)
> 
> Hey, I'm back from a month (?) long hiatus. I had a lot of extra curricular activities to catch up on, and a lot of events to plan and manage, as well as work. I hope you understand.
> 
> This is also the first time I'm ever writing smut (which i admittedly wrote in bursts during work lmao), and it did get me feeling slightly anxious as to its reception. 
> 
> Let me know how I did in the comments, or just leave one there anyway! Comments and Kudos' give me life. You, the readers are my inspiration to keep writing despite my schedule <333  
> I love you <3333

His hands were rough: but he was rougher.

** *___________________________________________ **

  


You yelped lightly as he pushed you into the soft snow, eyes hungry. You growled at him- your initial surprise having melted away to reveal your sharp anger.

               “Fuck-! It’s cold h-“

               “you won’t be cold when I’m done with you.” He growled, eyes aflame in a brilliant orange- boring into you.

That line sent you spiralling- lightheaded. His voice was hoarse, and barely above a whisper, but he ground it out through his teeth. A needy arousal built itself up in the pit of your stomach, and this, combined with Papyrus’ half lidded eyes and strong grip over you, left you hyperaware of the now throbbing area between your thighs.

But that didn’t change the fact that you were freezing.

               “Papyrus, I’m serious, I- _ngh_ -!”

Flatly ignoring you, Papyrus yanked up your black top, hooking it over and exposing your chest and hard nipples, taut in the cold.

               “heh, I can see that.”

You felt your face turn red at the comment- and you almost slapped him out of habit- but the moment he slid his hands over your waist, a drunken stupor crashed over you.

Warmth.

Viscous, hot- steamy, pooling wherever his hands ghosted over you.

Like warm honey- you felt his magic flow through your being, filling you up with a relaxing ~~stimulating~~ heat. The snow crushed up against your back started to melt and seep into your clothing, but you didn’t care-

You were intoxicated.

Papyrus dragged his hand lazily from your mid rift to your chest, squeezing lightly as he went- revelling in the little moans you offered him, not letting up on the hand that gripped your wrists together.

               “you like it that much, huh?”

He chuckled sarcastically, as you sucked in a breath. His hands trailed down your waist, down to your hips- as he shifted his body weight. He was now directly on top of you, and you instinctively squeezed your legs together when you felt his fingers graze the entrance of your slit. In response, he expertly weaved his legs between yours, knee grinding harshly into your clit as you stifled a moan.

               “don’t pretend to be coy, human.”

The dark growl you heard didn’t sound like Papyrus- but it chilled you nonetheless. You groaned at his rough treatment- you liked his rough treatment.

You can’t believe this is finally happening.

Your hands escape from the confines of his and dart up to his jacket- it’s cold and smooth like you imagined it would be, and you pulled him down to you, bruising your lips against his teeth. Sparks of electricity raced down your spine at his needy groan, and he ground harder into your clit.

You shuddered, feeling him position his knees between yours as he forced your thighs apart- shoving his hand between your legs hungrily.

A sharp gasp and a needy whine escaped you when you felt him expertly spreading your folds open with his fingers, toying with your throbbing clit, rubbing quick circles around it with his warm, lithe fingers. You grasped desperately at his chest.

               “so wet already? was it me or aaron that did this to you?”

Amidst your ecstasy and haze, that question caught you off guard.

               “I… I-”

               “ _answer me._ ”

His fingers pressed harshly against you, drawing out a harsh moan from your throat.

               “Y-You. You did this to me.”

It was the truth. He grunted his approval, seeming satisfied with the answer- and you felt his fingers lightly spread your juices around your entrance- he was lubricating you. Need trilled down from your lungs to your core, and your breaths got harder and deeper.

Your hands slid down from his chest to his pants- where you felt something hard. You immediately stiffen, feeling yourself get warmer, and you hesitated. His breath hitched- and his deep breaths were all but harsh panting.

               “heh, why so shy all of a sudden?”

You stifled an embarrassed noise, and gathered your gusto to delve between his pants, feeling his hardening length. You pulled them down, only to feel your breath get caught in your throat.

It was a translucent orange, - and you could see his precum beading at the tip- a few thin veins running along its upward curve. But most of all, he was hard, throbbing, and _long._

_Fuck, what have I gotten myself into-?_

               “like what you s- _fuck-!_ ”

Before he could finish his cliché one liner, you started stroking- _hard._

He groaned deeply at your ministrations, and you relished in the way his cock twitched every time you palmed the head. You felt him crumple, dropping to his elbows for support, the pleasure overwhelming him as he grunted hoarsely to the rhythm of your pumps. His dextrous fingers had long since abandoned your clit.

Suddenly, he locked eyes with you- and you were stunned into silence and the beautiful, deep amber that coated his right eye.

               “turn around.”

And you obeyed, turning around obediently before you felt him scoop you up onto your hands and knees needily, his hands resting on your hips- firmly holding you in place, and he scoffs- his fingers returning to the liquid that, by this point, was trickling from your core.

He scoffed- and as you felt two of his fingers tease your entrance, you were left incapacitated, without a fleeting second to respond.

               “you’re already so _wet_.”

You thrashed- overwhelmed by the stimulation of Papyrus thumbing your clit as his long fingers slid into your quivering heat- and you moaned wantonly at the feeling of finally being filled up. Papyrus breathes out shakily at your eager response, and grinds his hardening erection against your propped-up ass.

He rips off your pants and hums lowly, approvingly, as he starts pumping his hand slowly- in and out. He has a steady rhythm going- and you feel your chest swell at how _amazing_ it feels to be filled up. No matter how much you shake or thrash- his rhythm is infallible and maddeningly slow- pistoning his two fingers while simultaneously torturing your clit with precise, confident circles that left you shuddering and gasping for breath.

               _Fuck. You need more._

               “P… Papyrus…” You whimper, breathily.

His voice is hoarse and controlled- but you revel in the light hitches in his breath as he responds.

               “yeah? is this not doing it for you?”

You can sense the vitriol in his voice- and you shudder.

               “No it’s… _agh_ … I- _ngh- need you_ ”

You’re almost panting now- your cunt is dripping wet as Papyrus curls his fingers around inside you- and the pleasure all but crashes into you- spreading like electricity from your core to the rest of your body.

               “need me to do what?”

You thrash- his thumb bears down firmly on your clit.

               “I n-need you to _fuck-!”_

“mmm…?”

You’re gasping.

               “ _Please for god’s sake Pap-!_ ”

Without warning- you feel a hard length pierce fiercely into your warmth, and you hiss in pain, cursing. You felt a warm liquid drip down your thighs. Papyrus growls harshly as your searing heat envelopes his entire length- and he sheathes himself fully within you and a burning pain shoots through your sensitive flesh- groaning as Papyrus’ hands grip your waist tightly enough that you feel a dull pain, your walls throbbing around his length.

He supressed a groan, shuddering.

               “f-fuck. you’re so fucking warm-!” he ground out sharply.

Your mind was a hazy, muddled mess- and you could do nothing but clench your teeth, watching as he parted your folds and began burrowing into your yielding flesh, submitting to the overwhelming sensation of pleasure that permeated your entire being.

Papyrus paused, savouring the searing heat that enveloped him- before slowly- almost _painfully slowly-_ pulled out, leaving only the tip within you. You felt his length pulse within your, and your ground out a sharp moan.

Again, Papyrus plunged into you, deep- and hot. You noticed something off, as he buried his length into you.

The next couple of strokes allowed you to start clenching in time with that steady pulse, as you became dimly aware of his shifting slightly between each thrust, but your mind was racing so fast that you couldn’t even begin to decipher why-

            “ _FUCK-!”_

A sudden spasm wracked your body, and you could vaguely make out Papyrus’ twisted smirk from above you.

            “found it.”

He hoarsed, as he continued to pound into you, his hard cock filling you and retreating. Papyrus skilfully pulled your ass towards him to match his thrusts, adding to the speed and pressure, which left your ears buzzing with the explosive pleasure that rendered you into a helpless, whimpering mess beneath him.

You vaguely registered Papyrus’ breath becoming ragged and harsh- interspersed with low, needy growls, and as shifted your elbows to accommodate for this influx of movement- you realised something.

Bones were sticking out of the ground beside each of your wrists in an “X” shape. You turned to look at Papyrus, to see a smug expression on his face- and noticed the same thing around your waist and ankles- trapping you and rendering you effectively immobile.

A wave of arousal washed over your body- and Papyrus seemed to notice you clenching around him with need. Without any further warning, you felt his cock thrusting into you wildly.

He grabbed your waist tightly, pounding and pounding into you as you cried out and thrashed beneath him at the overstimulation. His hands sought out your slit, and you made a strangled noise as he started torturing your clitoris with urgent ministrations. It was almost animalistic.

The pace was almost unbearable- and just as your body started to adapt to Papyrus’ ungodly pace, he pushed you down- the bones that held your waist in place sinking into the ground and pushing you down into the snow, as he straightened your legs into a spread eagle position- and he hunched over to meet your body, with his length burrowing deeper into you than ever.

With your legs straightened, the pressure increased inside you and more of your labia was pressed to his skilled fingers. You felt the first waves of orgasm building up inside you- alarm bells going off in your head. Papyrus seemed to notice your body tensing up, and with one final snap of his hips- you came.

It was a bit like being weightless, your breathing coming in short gasps- and you were only mildly aware of the fact that you were probably shrieking nonsensically, as the pleasure tore through you like a riptide. Tears flooded your eyes at the immense _everything_ , and your breathing stuttered. It was too much, and your mind went completely numb, shockwaves coursing through your body as it strained urgently against the bones that held you in place.

Any semblance of time betrayed you, it could have been one huge, powerful orgasm- or it could have been dozens. Seconds, minutes, hours- you couldn't tell. You just quivered beneath him. Beneath Papyrus.  
  
You couldn't speak, and you couldn't get away from Papyrus’ relentless thrusting. Your hands gripped the snow so hard that your fingers started burning. Still immobilized, the only thing you could do was to clench his cock at the end of each thrust. Each stroke went harder and deeper, until you felt am urgent spasm run up his shaft. His breathing became erratic and harsh, when finally, with haggard, urgent groans, Papyrus stiffened and gripped on your hips so hard that you already felt tomorrow's bruises forming. Spasm after spasm wracked him as you felt his hot cum blasting into you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do anything except moan desperately.

He wasn't continuing to thrust, he just kept pushing into you as if he could somehow get further inside you, and he growled harshly beside your ear. He pumped so much cum into you during his orgasm that as you clenched down on him, you felt a warm liquid starting to escape.

You felt him continue to fill you, locked into position and shuddering tight into you. The spasms started to slow- and almost as roughly as he had inserted himself into you, he slid out, panting. You felt liquid drip from you and melt the snow around your thighs, but you didn’t care- you could only bask in the afterglow.

And with a lazy flick of his hand, he released you from your captivity, the bones dissipating as jarringly as they came.

** *___________________________________________ **

You were both panting, and your vision was blurry and your mind was still buzzing as you shuffled into your clothes, detached from your surroundings. You vaguely register Papyrus collecting himself- standing up and walking away as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He was leaving? Just like that? You felt the afterglow and the ethereality that he left you with crumble violently to the ground.

Thoughts and questions echoing within your head- and the loudest one?

            “Why?” You ground out, anger blossoming in your chest.

He stopped and regarded you briefly, eyes but narrow sockets.

            “hm..?”

            “Why the fuck are you playing around with me?”

Papyrus scoffs, taking another huff of his cigarette, before tossing it to the snow and grounding it beneath his untied sneakers.

            “ _you, of all people_ , are gonna lecture me on playing around with feelings?”

            “What the fuck are you implying?”

Papyrus rolls his eyes at you, before turning around once again to walk away. You growl, furious- gathering yourself and stomping up to him- before he could blink away or run from this conversation.

Your hand shot out to his arm, tugging angrily on his jacket. He whipped his head around, eyes flashing with irritation- as your heart dragged itself further into the abyss.

            “What the hell is your problem Papyrus? One day we’re friendly, and the next you’re ignoring me? If I did something to you, just tell me- I assure you, I didn’t mean it. You think I didn’t notice you avoiding me all this time? How the fuck do you think that made me feel? Just talk to me, damnit!”

He immediately wrestled your hand away from his arm, his expression morphed into one of intense vitriol.

            “how I made you feel? oh boy, you are one fucked up human. you want me to talk? fine. that night- at the piano? what the fuck was that?”

You flinched from his tone, the message hitting you hard. He most definitely was upset at your show of feelings for him. But still, that didn’t warrant any of this… hatred.

            “and that day, at the library? cracking jokes like that, getting all chummy and touchy with me? and you still dare to fuck around with that… fuck around with him? all while flaunting the ring?”

He was breathless by the end of his spiel- but you were stunned into a mixture of silence and confusion.

Your ring?

Papyrus caught onto your expression, and his eyes narrowed with disgust.

            “or did you think I didn’t know what rings on ring fingers meant to humans?”

He threw his head up, his mocking, raucous laughter grating on your heart.

            “so, then you _weren’t_ playing with my feelings, or flirting with me for shits and giggles _after all_ \- you just completely undermined any semblance of intelligence or understanding of the human race I have! _hah-!_ man, that’s even better.”

Your anger flattened, as you realised what he was so riled up about. To be completely honest, you hadn’t even considered the fact that you might be married. You gazed down at your finger to take in the silver ring that you realised you were thumbing nervously. Papyrus noticed, shooting you a sneer. You deflated.

            “I… Oh, god. I hadn’t even- I don’t remember if I… Papyrus-“

You took in a big breath, eyes downcast. You didn’t know anything. If you were married- or the consequences for what you just did if you were? You didn’t know what this meant for your feelings for Papyrus- you didn’t know why you were… bleeding?

            “…I’m bleeding..?”

At that, Papyrus flicked his full attention towards you, as the both of you stared down at the blood that stained your hands.

You suddenly felt your vision darkening, and your chest seizing up. It was as if your brain lifted itself from your body- and the nerves in your legs disappeared.

Your knees buckled, and you crumpled to the ground- but before you felt the cold of the snow, Papyrus wordlessly blinked behind you, supporting your weight. He grabbed your hands, and in your blank state, you registered his warmth as vaguely comforting amidst the black that had encroached your vision that was now dissipating.

Your dizziness dissolved, and you pushed away from Papyrus to steady your hands.

            “where did you…”

Papyrus murmured, his eyes drifting along your body. You felt your face flush at his attentions despite yourself, and you mentally slapped yourself. You just had sex with him, for god’s sake!

… You just had sex with him. You felt no pain on your body except at your entrance… You cast a glance at Papyrus, who, looking at a small stain of blood in the snow where you were previously, had come to the same conclusion as you.

            “…are you a virgin..?”  

The both of you stood rooted to the ground- before all your guilt and hurt seemingly bled out your body. Papyrus stared at you, wide eyed.

            “hey uh... humans who get married, they uh... they usually do it, right?"

His voice was low, hesitant. You could only nod numbly along.


End file.
